Dealing With Demons
by Elsandra
Summary: Complete! Thanks for your patience. Sully and Faith deal with life with a little help from a new officer at the 55.
1. The beginning

_Disclaimer:  I don't own them, I just play with them then put them back  They're owned by Warner Brothers and were created by John Wells and Ed Bernero.  _

_This story takes place in Season Four, around the time of  "Everybody Lies" and "In Confidence".  I fiddled with the time line a little, Carlos is on limited duty still and this after Faith and Bosco break up but before Faith rides with Monroe._

**Dealing with Demons**

                                                            by Elsandra   2003

            Lt. Swersky handed a stack of papers to the first officer in front as he started roll call.  "Here's today list of stolen vehicles and suspects to look for.  Assignments:  Owens, you're with Thompson today in 55-Edward.  Yokas, your new partner for the next few weeks is Magnuson."

            He stopped, looking around for the officer.  Finally spotting her in the back he pointed to her.  "Everyone, this is Officer Liz Magnuson.  She's temporarily filling in while Bosco's in Anti-crime, Jablonski's out on medical leave, and Woleski and Powell are on vacation.  Maybe if you're all nice to her she might decide to stay."

            The officer in the hot seat gave Lt. Swersky a small smile as she tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear.  She nodded at the others but didn't say anything.  A few called greetings before they all turned their attention back to the lieutenant.  Lt. Swersky waved his clipboard at them.  "That's it, get to work."  

            Everyone started to move, the sound of scrapping chairs creating a din as it mixed with jovial voices.   Faith Yokas approached her new partner, extending her hand.  "Hi, I'm Faith Yokas."

            Officer Magnuson gripped Faith's hand firmly in her own.  "Nice to meet you, Faith."  She gave Faith the same small smile she'd given the lieutenant.   "Hope you don't mind having another woman in the squad."

            Faith chuckled.  "Of course not, it'll be a nice change to have some girl talk for once."

            "Lord helps us all," quipped John Sullivan as he and his partner, Ty Davis, walked over.   He reached out a meaty hand to Liz as he sized her up.  She stood a few inches shorter than Yokas, making her about 5'5", with a medium build that tended toward curviness, though he couldn't tell for sure behind the vest.  She had a slightly heart shaped face that was neither pretty nor plain but settled somewhere in between, framed by reddish-blonde hair that was more red than blonde.  Her most remarkable feature was her eyes, startling blue with a dark ring around the outside of the irises. Sully couldn't judge her age.  Her handshake was firm as he introduced himself.  "I'm John Sullivan. This is my partner, Ty Davis," he stated as he waved his hat at the tall officer next to him.

            Liz nodded then reached out to shake Ty's hand.  "Davis," she said, smiling up at him.

            "Nice to meet you," replied Davis.  "Welcome to the five-five."

            Faith motioned towards the door.  "Let's go sign out our radios and get going."  As Liz headed out of the room Faith looked back at Sully.  "Hey, you guys wanna do lunch if you're free?"

            "Sure," agreed Sully as Davis nodded.  Faith walked out after her new partner.  They checked out their radios and were just going to head to their RMP when they heard Lt. Swersky calling out Liz's name.  They both turned around to see him motioning for Liz to come over.  Faith glanced at Liz, who just shrugged, before they headed over to the lieutenant.  

            "Liz, gotta minute?"

            "Yeah, you need something?"  Lt. Swersky looked at Faith, who took the hint and started to walk away. Liz called after her, "I'll be there in a minute, partner."

            Faith nodded as she stopped near the stairs, just barely within earshot.  Lt. Swersky's attention was focused on his newest officer so he didn't notice.  "You need anything you let me know, okay?"

            "I'll be fine, Lieu.  Stop worrying about me."

            "Yeah, right.  Be careful out there."

            Faith was surprised when Liz reached up to gently touch Lt. Swersky's cheek.  "I will."  Liz turned to walk back to her partner, not seeing the lieutenant shaking his head behind her but Faith did.  

            As they headed out Faith let her curiosity get the best of her.  "What was that about?"

            "An over-protective old friend," was all Liz would say.

            It was during a brief lull in conversation that Faith realized she'd been doing most of the talking.  Liz would answer a question or two then subtly turn things around so Faith was talking again.  Faith was rather impressed with how smoothly Liz did it without her realizing she was being pumped for information.  Faith also had to admit it was nice to have a grown up conversation with another female.  

            Faith glanced at the clock on the dash.  "It's around dinner time, wanna stop?"

            Liz gave small shrug.  "Fine by me.  I'm not picky about what I eat so you can choose where we go."

            "Okay.  Mind if Sully and Davis join us?"

            Liz gave her a small smile.  "The more the merrier."

            Faith radioed 55-Charlie and they decided to meet at a favorite diner that was just inside Charlie's area.  Sully and Davis were just sitting down in a booth when they got there.  Faith was a little surprised when Liz quickly slid in beside Sully but when she sat down she realized it was so Liz didn't have to have her back to the door.  Faith automatically trusted Sully or Davis to watch her back but Liz didn't know either one so it was only logical she would be a little wary.

            "Faith giving you the grand tour?"  Sully asked after they'd given their orders to the waitress.  

            "That she is," Liz answered, taking a sip of her water.  "Not a bad area, better than thirty-three any day."

            "Is that where you came from?"  Davis inquired.

            "Yeah, couldn't wait to get out of there."

            Faith frowned.  "How come?"

            "Let's just say those guys are a different breed all unto themselves," Liz replied as she played with her silverware.

            Sully nodded, having worked with some of the guys from there a few times.  "Gotta agree with you there, they are different."  He looked over at his booth mate, knitting his eyebrows together.  "So, Liz, by your almost total lack of an accent I'd say you're not from around here.  Where are you from originally?"

            "Iowa."

            Davis gave her a look of surprise.  "How in the hell did you get out here?"

            "College.  Stayed for the job."

            "Is there as much corn out there as they say?" Sully teased, watching her reaction.

            Liz gave him a sly smile.  "If I had a dime for every time someone asked me that I'd be rich.  Yes, there's corn and soybeans and pigs and cows and lots of other farm stuff.  There's also the Mississippi and barges and river bluffs and woods and lots of other things I could mention, " she rattled off, shaking her head.

            "You have been asked that a lot, haven't you," stated Ty, chuckling.  Liz only rolled her eyes.

            "How long were you at the three-three?" Faith asked, changing the subject a little.  She'd tried to find out earlier but Liz had managed to steer her away from the subject without her realizing it.  Faith didn't think she'd be able to do it with three people.

            "Only a few months but it was still too long."

            Ty set his water glass down. "Where were you before that?"

            "At 110."

            "Nice place."  Sully glanced up as the waitress brought their orders.  "How long have you been roaming?"

            "A little over a year."  She thanked the waitress as the woman set a plate of eggs, hash browns, bacon, and toast in front of her.  Sully watched her pull a baggy out of her cargo pocket then sprinkle some of the contents over her eggs and hash browns.

            "What the hell is that?" he asked

            Liz smiled at him again.  "Cajun spice. Want some?"

            "How spicy is it?"

            Liz pushed her plate towards him.  "Try it and find out."

            Sully gave her a skeptical look as he extended his fork to snag some hash browns.  He gave them a suspicious sniff before putting them in his mouth.  Ty and Faith were chuckling at him, especially when his face lit up.  "Hey, that's good.  Sure, I'll take some for my fries."

            Liz handed him the baggy before asking, "Anyone want my bacon?"

            "That sounds like a personal question," Ty remarked, grinning as he reached for it.  

            "Believe me, Davis, if I propositioned you you'd know it," Liz retorted before digging into her eggs.  Faith found herself laughing even more at the look on Ty's face.

            "Ooh, a feisty one."

            Sully looked up from his plate to grin at his partner.  "It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for."  Liz just gave him a smirk before going back to her eggs.

            Faith nibbled on a fry while everyone started eating.  She finally decided to ask something she'd wanted to ask her partner earlier but hadn't.  "How do you know Swersky?"

            Liz swallowed what she'd been eating then took a sip of water before stating, "He was my first partner."

            Three forks clattered down onto their respective owners' plates.  

            "Really?"

            "You're kidding!"

            Sully frowned at her.  "How old are you?"

            "You don't ask a woman that, Sul," retorted Ty.                        

            Liz chuckled at their reactions.  "I don't mind."  She turned to look directly at Sully.  "I'm thirty-five and I've been with the department for fifteen years."

            "You sure as hell don't look thirty-five, I thought you were in your late twenties," stated Sully.

            "Me too," agreed Faith. 

            "I'll take that as a complement."  Liz picked up a piece of toast and swirled it in her egg yolk as she continued, "Swersky was my first partner, I was his last before he started moving up the ranks."  She got a far away look in her eyes.  "Those were the days.  Hell's Kitchen was a lot rougher back then."

            "You started in Hell's Kitchen?"  Faith's face had a slight look of disbelief and awe mixed together.         

            "Sure did.  Moved up to Harlem next then went to the lower East Side."

            "You get around," remarked Ty.

            "Only in job assignments." 

            Ty grinned.  "I like how your mind thinks."  Liz grinned back.     

            Faith ate the last of her sandwich before asking, "What was Swersky like back then?"

            Pointing the end of her fork at Sully, Liz replied, "From what I hear, alot like this one, with a protective father streak thrown in."

            "Hey, now..." started Sully before Ty interrupted with, "I can see that."

            Sully glared at him before looking at Liz.  "Swersky's talked to you about us?"

            Liz nodded.  "He thinks very highly of his Camelot family."

            The three regulars exchanged glances before Faith said, "The lieutenant's a good guy."

            "Yeah" and "Uh huh" agreed Sully and Ty.

            Liz smiled again.  "That he is."  Just then their portables squawked to life.  *55-David? *

            Faith keyed her mike.  "55-David."

            *Domestic in progress, 5713 Lexington, apartment #18.  Domestic in progress, 5713 Lexington, apartment 18. *

            "55-David, 10-4."  She grabbed her glass for one last sip as she started to slide out of the booth.  

            Liz dug in her pocket then threw a twenty-dollar bill down on the table.  "That should cover the two of us."

            "Have fun," quipped Ty as the two women walked away. Liz just waved at him before they went out the door.

            As they were climbing in their RMP Faith said,  "You didn't have to buy my dinner."

            "You can buy me a snack later," was Liz's reply as she put her seatbelt on.  They headed to their call.

            Ty gave Sully a look over his water glass.  "So, what do you think of the new gal?"

            Shrugging, Sully didn't look up from his sandwich.  "She seems nice enough."

            "But?"

            Sully finally looked up.  "But what?"

            "You answered like you were thinking something more."

            "Maybe."  Sully dipped the last of his french fries in ketchup as he continued, "There's something she's not telling us.  If she's got fifteen years in, what is she doing floating and on the street?"

            "You've been here longer and you're still on the street," Ty pointed out.

            "By my own choice, I've never really wanted to go any higher."

            "Maybe Liz never wanted to either."      

            Sully shook his head. "Naw, she seems too smart to have just stayed on the street.  I have this feeling there's more to Officer Magnuson than she's telling us."

            "Well, Sul, we all have our secrets."  With that Ty threw his napkin on his plate.  "Ready to go?"

            "Yeah, let me hit the head before we leave."

            The domestic turned out to be in a five-story building and apartment #18 was on the fifth floor with no elevator.  Faith and Liz were both feeling it a little when they got to the top of the stairs.  They paused outside of #18, listening to the commotion inside.  They could hear alot of yelling but nothing else seemed to be happening. When they heard a crash Liz pounded on the door. 

            "Yeah, who is it?" yelled a male voice.

            "Police department, open up," Liz called back, her voice taking on a booming, authoritative quality.

            "We don't need the cops, go away!"

            "Sir, open this door now or we're booting it in," Liz answered.

            "No!"

            "You've got till the count of three," Liz stated, motioning for Faith to draw her weapon and stand to the right side of the door.  Liz drew her own and started counting, "One...two.."

            Before she could get to three they heard the chain rattling and the snap of the deadbolt opening.  They both holstered their weapons as the door swung open, a brunette female with tousled hair and a ripped shirt standing in the opening.  "Everything's fine, you can go now," she said in almost a whisper.

            Liz pushed the door open farther before she and Faith slipped inside.  They found the male sitting on the couch in the living room, trying to look as if he'd been sitting there all evening.  Faith looked the female up and down, noting the ripped shirt, red marks on her neck, the beginning of a black eye, and the messed up hair.  She glanced at Liz, who dropped a gloved hand down on her handcuff case and raised an eyebrow.  Faith gave the slightest of nods as she began to question the woman, asking for her name, date of birth, and phone number.  The female, named Tanya Post, gave her answers in a quiet, shaky voice. When Faith asked her what had happened Liz moved towards the living room to engage the male in conversation.  

            Faith was getting frustrated with the female after a minute or two. Tanya kept denying anything had happened, despite her injuries.  Faith could hear that Tanya's boyfriend, David Moyer, was telling Liz the same thing. As Faith started to put her notebook away she saw Liz was doing the same thing.  Faith told Tanya to stay put and headed towards where her partner was standing.

            Liz motioned to David, "Mr. Moyer, stand up."

            David looked up at her, starting to tense.  "Why?"

            "Mr. Moyer, I am not going to repeat it again.  Stand up please."

            David stood but clenched his fists at his side. Liz and Faith both reached for an arm as Faith stated, "David Moyer, you're under arrest for domestic assault.  Put your hands behind your back."

            David pulled his arm out of Faith's grip and started to swing his fist at her.  Liz had managed to maintain her hold on David's left arm which she hugged to her body.  She shifted her weight, stepping back with one foot.  David was caught off balance and Liz was able to pivot him to the floor, still keeping control of his left arm. Liz came down with one knee across David's shoulders and the other on the floor pressed against his side with his arm pinned in between. She had the arm bent and held it over the small of David's back.  Faith had quickly knelt down on his other side, grabbing his other arm as she pulled out her handcuffs.  Liz was giving him orders, "Sir, put your other hand behind your back.  Stop resisting and you'll stop hurting yourself."

            "I'll hurt you, bitch," he growled in return, still fighting with Faith's attempt to get his right arm behind his back.

            Liz caught motion behind Faith.  "Faith, behind you!"

            Faith turned in time to see a broom handle headed towards her head.  She raised her arm to block it, crying out when it connected.  She heard her partner cry out too but she wasn't sure why.  Faith pushed herself up to shove Tanya back, the petite woman flying across the room to land on her back.  Faith scrambled to her side before she could get up to attack again, flipping her over on her stomach and handcuffing her fast.          

            Faith looked over to see Liz sitting on David's back, one handcuff on while she was trying to get his other arm out from under his chest.  As Faith was moving to her partner's side, Liz brought her right elbow down between David's shoulder blades, digging the point in as she order, "Give me your other arm!"

            David started squirming, finally crying out and thrusting his arm out.  "Dammit, stop it!"

            Liz quickly pulled his arm back, slapping the other handcuff on.  She pulled out her handcuff key to double-lock the cuffs before getting up, sitting on the couch.  She reached out to touch her head.

            Faith radioed for assistance as she leaned down to look at her partner.  "You hurt?"

            "Beside a goose egg developing on the side of my head where the broom stick hit me after it ricocheted off you, no."

            "Help's on the way."

             "Good, because if I have to walk this jackass down the steps I just might make sure he trips."

            Faith blinked, suddenly feeling like she was talking to Bosco.  Liz smiled up at her.  "How 'bout you?"

            "What about me?"

            "You hurt?"

            "Only my pride."

            "Ah, but that can be mended a lot easier than bones.  Let me see your arm."  Liz reached out her hand making Faith extend her left arm out to her.  It wasn't until Liz asked about it that Faith realized her arm was throbbing.  Faith twisted her arm so they both could look at her outer forearm, seeing the deep red welt that was already turning purple.  "That looks like it hurts," stated Liz.

            "It smarts a little," Faith replied as she pulled her arm back.  They heard footsteps hurrying their way in the hall before the apartment door opened.  "Yokas?  Magnuson?" called Sully as he and Davis entered the room.  

            "Over here, Papa Bear," Liz answered, motioning towards the two people on the floor.  "Would you two gentleman be so kind as to escort these miscreants down to the squads, putting the Neanderthal in yours?"

            "Papa Bear?" echoed Sully.

            "Miscreants?" repeated Davis as he grinned at her.  He reached down to grab David's arm. "Alright, sir, we're gonna stand you up.  We're gonna turn you over so your sitting on your butt."  Davis helped him into a sitting position, then bent one of the guy's legs.  "Okay, now we're gonna rock you forward and your gonna help yourself up.  If you try anything you'll find yourself kissing floorboards really fast.  Understand?"

            "Yeah."

            Davis pushed him forward and got David up, who was now glowering at Liz on the couch.  Sully had lifted Tanya to her feet and had her standing near the door.  Davis smacked David lightly on the top of his head.  "It's not polite to glare at a lady."

            "She's no-"

            Davis pulled up on David's arms, cutting him off.  "Hey now, let's not name call."  Davis pushed him towards the door, smiling at Faith and Liz.  "Coming, ladies?"

            Faith smiled. "Right behind you, Davis"

            Liz stood, looking for the apartment keys.  Seeing a set on the dining room table she grabbed them before following Faith out the door.  She locked the place up then hurried after her partner.

            Faith was chuckling to herself as she watched her partner type.  Liz had her head tilted to the side, a cold pack perched vicariously on the side of her head.  Faith was holding another cold pack to her arm and every time she removed it Liz clucked at her like a mother hen.  It was a switch to have someone mother her instead of Faith being the one and she wasn't quite sure how to handle it.  When she mentioned it to Liz, her partner told her to get used to it because she couldn't shut the mothering instinct off causing Faith to laugh.

            "Elizabeth Adelaide Magnuson, what in the hell did you get yourself into this time?" boomed Lt. Swersky from the door.    

            Liz's head jerked up causing the cold pack to slide off and land with a plop on the floor.  Faith and Liz looked over to see the lieutenant standing with his hands on his hips in front of Sully and Davis.  For their part, Ty and Sully were struggling to keep from bursting out in laughter.

            "Michael William Swersky, don't you take that tone with me," Liz shot back, crossing her arms across her chest.  The jaws of the other patrol officers collectively dropped as they looked at their lieutenant.  

Lt. Swersky surprised them by slowly smiling before walking over to Liz.  He reached out to touch the side of Liz's             head. "Your first day with us and you go and get yourself hurt. What am I going to do with you?"

"You're gonna lecture me, pat me-no, wait a minute-kiss me on the top of my head, then send me on my way like you always do," she answered with a smile.  

Shaking his head, Lt. Swersky squeezed her shoulder.  "I don't want to embarrass you by kissing you now, I'll catch you at the end of the shift.  Yokas," he pointed at Faith,  "Keep her out of any more trouble tonight if you can."

Faith nodded.  "I'll try, boss."

            "But don't you want to kiss my booboo and make it feel better?" Liz pouted as Lt. Swersky started walking away, making a shooing motion with his hand as he went out the door. 

            Sully bent over to pick up the cold pack from the floor.  Before he handed it back he prodded the knot on the side of Liz's head.  "Ouch!" she cried out, "What are you, the Marquis de Sade?"

            "Sorry."  Sully put the cold pack back on her head, holding it there until Liz put her own hand back on it to hold it in place.

            Davis leaned against the wall.  "Adelaide?"

            "Yeah, after _mi grand mère_."

            Sully squinted at her.  "Your what?"

            "My Cajun grandmother, she lives near Baton Rouge."

            "Cajun?" Ty echoed.

            Liz typed the last few words of her report and pulled it from the typewriter.  "_Oui, ma chère_, Cajun.  Now, if you two gentlemen will excuse me, I have a report to file."

            Smiling, she put the cold pack down on the desk before she left the room.  The three left behind watched her go before Sully and Davis looked at Faith.  Davis reached out to pull the cold pack away from Faith's arm, assessing her injury.  "That doesn't look too bad."

            "Naw, I'm only holding the ice pack on it because my partner kept giving me the evil eye every time I took it off."

            "You really okay?"  Sully asked, sitting down in the chair Liz had vacated.

            "Yeah, though if Liz hadn't been watching my back I wouldn't be."

            Ty sat down on the desk.  "What happened?"

            "The guy started resisting and Liz pulled him off balance when he took a swing at me.  She got him to the ground and while we were trying to cuff him the female started swinging a broom.  Liz noticed and yelled at me so I had enough time to block with my arm and shove the woman away."

            Ty crossed his arms. "So Magnuson's good?" 

            "Yeah, Ty, she's good.  I can trust her to watch my back."

            "Good, then we don't have worry about the two of you," Sully stated as he stood up.  "Come on, Davis, let's go drive around some more."

            "See ya' later, Yokas."  Davis squeezed her arm as he walked by her, heading after his partner.

            "Yeah, see ya'."  Faith was lost in thought, thinking back to the domestic, when her partner poked her head in the door.

            "Faith, you okay?"  When it took Faith a minute to answer, Liz walked over to her and began running her fingers over Faith's head.  

            Faith pulled back to look at her partner.  "What are you doing?"

            "Checking to make sure you weren't hit on the head since you didn't answer me."

            Faith stood to look down at her.  "I'm okay, I didn't get hit on the head."

            Liz put her hands up in surrender.  "Okay, just checking.  Ready to head out again?"

            "Are you?"

            "As long as you drive while I wait for the ibuprofen I took to start working."

            "Deal."  They smiled at each other before heading out to their squad car.

            After shift Faith waited for her partner to finish getting dressed so they could walk out together.  She was surprised when Liz came round the corner wearing a thigh length black leather coat and holding a motorcycle helmet in her hand.  "You ride a motorcycle?" 

            Liz grinned.  "Part of the divorce settlement."

            This little revelation threw Faith for a minute.  She realized she had found out very little about her partner in the eight hours they'd ridden together, she'd done most of the talking.  "You're divorced?"

            "Yeah, for a year now."

            "I'm sorry."

            Liz shrugged.  "It happens."

            "If you don't mind my asking, how long were you married?"

            "Fourteen years."

            "Was it because of the job?"

            Faith could see Liz was uncomfortable with the question and was going to take it back when Liz said, "Indirectly."

            "Oh."

            Liz nudged Faith with her elbow as she reached up to push a strand of hair out her face.  "It's okay, Faith, to ask.  It's natural to be curious."

            Faith saw she was now smiling.  "Especially when you're a cop," Faith added.

            Liz's smile grew.  "Especially."

            They were just going out the door when they heard a male voice behind them say, "It seems red hair and black leather, my favorite color scheme."

            Turning, they saw Lt. Swersky standing there, an uncharacteristic smile on his face.  Liz walked towards him saying, "There's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent and a red-headed girl."

Faith looked on, baffled, as the two hugged.  Liz pulled back to look up at Swersky, "Sorry, Mike, but a '52 Vincent is a bit out of my range."

"Can't buy it for a song huh?"

            Liz groaned.  "That was bad, even for you, Mike."

            Lt. Swersky chuckled.  "I know."  He looked over at Faith.  "Yokas, how's the arm?"

            "It's okay, Boss."

            "You both better let me know tomorrow if your injuries are bothering you, you hear?"

            "Yes, sir."

            "Yes, dad," Liz teased.  Faith was still a bit shocked with the familiarity in which Liz addressed Lt. Swersky.  While watching the two chat for a minute she did realize that Liz only did it when it was just Faith and she or Sully and Davis present, not in front of the other officers.  Faith's respect for Liz grew.  Faith was shocked again when Lt. Swersky kissed Liz gently on the cheek.

            "Not bad for your first day with us, see you tomorrow?"

            "You bet.  Got a great partner, a wonderful supervisor, why wouldn't I be back?"

            Lt. Swersky smiled.  "Be careful going home.  That goes for you too, Yokas.  See you tomorrow."

            "Good night, boss."

            As he walked away Liz nudged Faith towards the door.  Once they stepped outside Faith asked, "Do I even want to know what that was about?"

            "What was about?"

            "It sounded like you two were quoting something to each other."

            Liz laughed, this time a deep laugh that made Faith smile.  "We were quoting a song to each other, "1952 Vincent Black Lightening" to be exact.  Your Lt. Swersky is a closet bluegrass and folk song fan." 

            "Bluegrass?  Really?"

            "Yeah, sing a Del McCoury or Rhonda Vincent song to him and he goes crazy."

            "Wow!  That I would never have guessed."

            "Goes to show we all have our secrets, some more amusing than others."    Liz stopped and Faith realized they were standing next to a red Harley Davidson motorcycle.  Faith was going to comment on the bike when they heard sirens start.  They both turned to see an engine and an ambulance pull out from the fire station across the street, turning to head their way.  Faith gave a wave when they went by which was returned by a few of the firefighters.  "Which squad is that?"

            Faith turned back to her partner.  "Squad 55 and Adam 55-3.  There's a small rivalry between them and us but we get along pretty good."  Faith noted the stunned look on Liz's face.  "Something wrong?"

            Shaking her head, Liz put the key in the ignition of her bike.  "Naw.  I'd offer you a ride but I don't have my spare helmet with me."

            "That's okay, I'm not big on riding bikes."

            "Or the lesbian talk that would happen if you were seen riding with me?"

            "You get that too, huh?"

            "From time to time, even when I was married.  Just shows how ignorant and chauvinistic men can be."

            "Not all men."

            "No, not all men. There are a few good ones out there," Liz added with a smile.  "See you tomorrow?"

            "You bet."  

            Liz tucked her hair into her coat collar before putting her helmet on.  She started up the bike, the rumble of the engine loud in Faith's ears.  Liz gave Faith a small wave before backing up the bike then heading down the street.  Faith watched her go before walking towards the subway, her mind trying to absorb the events of the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	2. More questions than Answers

            Sully was just arriving at work, going to head up the stairs, when he heard a motorcycle approaching behind him.  He turned in time to see the bike turning sidewise, skidding to a stop.  Reflexively he jumped to the side though the bike was still a good ten feet away.  Just when he was going to start yelling at the rider they pulled off their helmet to reveal a grinning Liz Magnuson.

            "Something the matter, Sullivan?"

            "Jesus, Magnuson, you gave me a heart attack!  You always drive like that?"

            "You oughtta see me in EVOC, I kick butt."

            Liz parked the bike, pulling out the key and putting it in her pocket.  Sully was surprised that after she grabbed her helmet, Liz linked her arm through his, starting to pull him towards the door.  He let himself be lead inside, replying to Liz's small talk.  He was surprised again when she squeezed his arm once they were inside the door then pulled her arm out, seeming to be content with walking beside him.  They entered the locker room to find Faith and Ty already there, calling greetings to them as they headed to their respective lockers.

            "You two come to work together?" Ty asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Sully.  

            "No, I wouldn't live through riding with Evil Kenivel," Sully replied as he pulled on his pants.

            "What?"

            Sully was pulling on his shirt when Liz came round the corner. "You never know, you might like it, John," she teased as she headed to the mirror to put her hair up.

            "Like what?" Ty asked as he joined her at the sinks to wash his hands.

            "Riding my bike."

            "You ride a motorcycle?"

            "Yeah, something wrong with that?"

            "Uh, no."  Ty looked up to see Liz grinning at him.  "You just never struck as the kind to ride a bike."

            "What **kind** do I strike you as?"

            Ty could tell she wasn't going to let him off the hook easily.  Sully slapped him on the back as he walked by.  "Careful, partner, you're treading on thin ice."

            Putting his hands on his hips, Ty replied, "I don't know you well enough yet to say."

            Liz nodded.  "Okay, I'll give you that."  She headed out the door after Sully.

            Faith walked up, chuckling.  "She let you out of that one, Ty."

            Ty grinned.  "Yeah, she did.  Did you know she rides a motorcycle?"

            "Found out last night when we walked out."

            "She's full of surprises, isn't she?"

            "Yeah, she is."  They walked out together to head to briefing.

            Magnuson surprised them again as the end of briefing.  Sgt. Christopher was back from his days off and he called out to Liz as she and Faith were getting ready to go.  "Officer Magnuson!"

            "Yes?"  Liz stopped, turning to face him.

            "That's **yes, sir**," Sgt. Christopher stated, crossing his arms.  Liz didn't reply, she just looked at him, her face blank.  Finally Sgt. Christopher couldn't take the silence any longer, "Did you hear me, officer?"

            "Yes, I heard you."

            "Well?"

            "Only those that have my respect have earned the right for me to call them "sir".  I don't know you and what I do know of you leads me to believe it will be a long time before you hear that term of respect out of me."  Liz rested her hands on her belt, standing in the most neutral stance she could.

            "I could write you up for insubordination for what you just said," Sgt. Christopher spat, starting to turn red with anger.  He was so focused on Liz he didn't realize that Yokas, Davis, and Sullivan were still in the room plus two other cops and Lt. Swersky had paused in the doorway.

            "Go ahead and try, it won't get you very far," Liz replied.  "I'm senior to you in more ways than you know and you'll just bring trouble down on yourself.  You treat me fair and I'll do the same."

            Sgt. Christopher's face had gotten redder and his hands had balled into fists.  He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Lt. Swersky calling, "Magnuson, may I see you please?"

            "Yes, sir," Liz answered without turning around.  She gave Sgt. Christopher one more long look before turning on her heel to follow the lieutenant out the door.  

            It was only then that Sgt. Christopher realized there were still others in the room.  "Get to work!" he barked, turning back to gather up some paperwork.  The others tried to hide their smiles as they shuffled out of the room, snickering once they got out.  Faith, Ty, and Sully saw Lt. Swersky and Liz talking off to the side.  Surprisingly it didn't look like the lieutenant was chewing her out, instead it looked like he was pleading with her.  Liz had her head bowed but finally looked up at him and nodded.  Lt. Swersky put his hand on her shoulder as he said one more thing to her then he walked away from her and the others, heading to the desk area.  

            Liz walked over to her partner.  "Got our radios yet?"

            "Uh, no."

            "Let's grab 'em and get out of here before I get myself into more trouble," Liz stated, pushing a strand of stray hair out of her eyes.  "Hell of a way to start the day."

            "We enjoyed it," Sully retorted.

            "Hopefully you don't get a repeat performance."  She walked away to head to the equipment sergeant.  

            "Quite the woman you have for a partner, Faith," Ty stated as he watched her go.

            "Yeah, full of surprises."  Faith headed after her partner.

            Faith glanced at her partner who had been awfully quiet for the first few hours of duty. Liz was slouched in her seat, gazing out the window at the passing scenery.  Faith pulled over, putting the squad in park.  "You okay?"

            Liz jumped as if startled.  She turned to Faith, a sheepish look on her face.  "I'm sorry, Faith. Second day on the job and I'm already getting moody on you."

            "Wanna talk about it?"

            Sighing, Liz turned even more in the seat so she was looking directly at Faith.  "I knew I was going to have problems with Christopher even before I met him. Lieu warned me about what he was like and asked me not to make a fuss but I couldn't help myself.  I've been sitting over here kicking myself because I let Mike down."

            "I doubt he feels that way."

            Liz turned to face forward again.  "He just hides it well but I know.  When you've known someone for fifteen years you can tell."

            "I know what you mean.  My partner-I mean my ex-partner and I were like that.  I could always tell what he was thinking and he hated that."  Faith put the squad in gear, glancing over her shoulder before pulling into traffic.  

            "Men usually do." 

 Faith glanced over to see Liz was finally smiling again. "Ain't that the truth."

They started giggling, unable to help themselves.

            Ty glanced at Sully over his sandwich.  "Hey, what's buggin' you?"

            Sully looked at him in surprise.  "Nothing. Why?"

            "You're quiet and add that to your normal grumpiness it makes you sullen."  At Sully's glare he shrugged.  "Well, it does."  Ty took another bite of sandwich as he watched his partner eat.  When he swallowed his mouthful he asked, "What do you think of Magnuson now?"

            "Huh?"

            "Yesterday you thought she was hiding something.  After that scene with Christopher I think she's okay in my book."

            "Yeah, she's okay.  Too bad she and Yokas got a call so they couldn't join us for dinner, I'd like to find out what the stuff with Christopher was all about."

            Ty grinned.  "Ah, the woman has you intrigued."

            "What's that supposed to mean?" 

            "Exactly what I said.  That's why you've been quiet tonight, you've been thinking about her."

            "So?"  Sully raised an eyebrow.  "I like Magnuson though I don't feel things add up with her.  Guess I'm gun shy about women with secrets."

            Nodding, Ty took a sip of his soda.  "Okay, you got me there.  But maybe you can find out her secret tonight at Haggarty's, she said she'd come when I asked her earlier."

            "Yeah?" At Ty's affirmative nod Sully shrugged.  "Maybe I'll come after all."

            Ty just grinned before he went back to eating.

            Faith was escorting their prisoner in while Liz stopped off at the desk for a message so she was by herself when she ran into Bosco and Sgt. Cruz.  They had just come down the stairs from the Anti-crime office and were discussing something so they almost literally ran into Faith.  Bosco looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment.  

            "Officer Yokas."

            "Sergeant."

            "Hey, Faith."

            "Bosco."

            Just then Liz joined her partner.  "Faith, something wrong?"

            "Uh, no."  Faith looked away from Bosco to glance at Liz.  "Liz, this is Sgt. Cruz and Maurice Boscorelli.  Bos, this is my partner Liz Magnuson."

            Bosco extended his hand to Liz.  "Nice to meet you."

            "Like wise."  Liz shook his hand but just looked at Sgt. Cruz.  "Sergeant."

            "Hey."  The two women sized each other up but neither extended a hand in greeting.  

            Liz turned back to Faith.  "Lieu wants us to get Sally here processed because he has a project for us."

            "Okay."  Faith turned back to Bosco.  "See ya'."

            "Yeah."

            Faith didn't have to turn around to know Bosco was watching her as she and Liz walked their prisoner away.  When they were out of earshot Liz asked, "Are you okay?"

            Not looking at her partner Faith replied softly, "Yeah.  What's the special assignment the lieutenant has for us?"

            "Nothing.  I made it up because things looked awkward when I came on the scene."

            "Thanks."

            "No problem."

            Faith stared out the window, watching the scenery slowly roll by.  From time to time Liz glanced at her but didn't say anything.  Faith's mind kept going back to seeing Bosco with Cruz and the look of unease on his face at seeing her.  When the car came to a stop she pulled her attention back to the present, looking over to see her partner watching her.

            "Wanna talk about it?" Liz asked quietly.

            "Not really."

            Liz nodded.  "Okay.  I realize that you don't know me yet and wouldn't be comfortable confiding in me but I promise anything said between the two of us stays that way; I'm not a spy for Swersky.   I'm not going to push you to talk but I want you to know I am a good listener."

            Faith pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.  "I'll keep that in mind."

            Liz smiled at her then put the car in gear again.  As she pulled into traffic she asked, "Are you going to Haggerty's tonight with the rest of us?"

            "I hadn't decided yet."

            "Well, it I think you should come along, it might distract you for a while."

            Faith shrugged.  "I'll keep it in mind."

            "That's all I ask."  The squad fell silent inside again.

            At the end of shift Faith followed her partner into the locker room.  As they walked through the door Liz took the hair pins out of her hair and shook her head, causing her hair to tumble down around her face.  Momentarily blinded, she didn't see Officer Steve Gussler walk out of a stall and she ran into him, knocking them both back a step.  Liz scooped her hair away from her face as she smiled at the red faced young officer.  "Sorry about that."

            "That's okay," Gussler mumbled, not looking her in the eye but more so over her shoulder. 

 Faith found herself grinning at his reaction. "Steve, have you met Officer Magnuson yet?"

            "No, ma'am."

            Faith rolled her eyes as she glanced at her partner, who was now grinning even wider.  "Liz, this is Steve Gussler.  Gussler, this is Liz Magnuson."

            Liz extended her hand to Gussler, which he shook tentatively.  "Nice to meet you, Steve."

            Gussler turned even redder.  "Same here, ma'am."

            "You can call me Liz."

            "Yes, ma'am."

            Liz patted him on the shoulder before heading to her locker, letting him slink away to his own locker.  Faith tried really hard not to laugh at him, knowing how insecure he could be.  As Liz was pulling off her shirt and Faith reached for her jeans, Sully and Davis walked in.  

            "Hey, Liz, you're still coming with tonight, right?" Davis called to her.

            "Wouldn't miss it," she answered, her head buried in her locker.

            "How 'bout you, Faith?  You coming too?" Sully inquired as he pulled off his tie while opening his locker.

            "Yeah, I am."  Liz popped her head back out of her locker to grin over at Faith.  Faith just shrugged before finishing getting dressed in her street clothes.

            Ty was headed towards the bar to buy the next round when Jimmy, DK and Walsh walked in.  They joined Ty and ordered themselves a round as they looked at the rest of the cops over at the table.  They saw a red head leaving the table, her back to them.  Walsh stopped, a frown on his face, as he watched her leave. Jimmy elbowed Ty.  "Who's the red head?"

            "Yokas' temporary partner.  She's a nice lady."

            The bartender deposited their drinks on the bar and they each grabbed two to carry to the table.  Just when they reached the table the red head returned.  Walsh almost dropped the drinks in his hands in surprise.  "Beth?"       

            Liz's face lit up with recognition.  "Oh my god, Billy Walsh!"

            Walsh quickly put his drinks on the table to engulf her in a bear hug.  When he pulled back to look at her he said, "How many years has it been?  Six?"

            "Try eight, handsome.  You're looking good."

            "Thanks, so do you."  

            Before he could speak again Liz turned to look at the other two newcomers.  "Hi, I'm Liz Magnuson."

            DK stood to shake her hand.  "Derek Kitson. This here is Jimmy Doherty."

            Liz reached down to shake Jimmy's hand.  "Nice to meet you."

            "Same here," replied Jimmy as he tried to casually give her the once over.  Liz caught him at it, rolling her eyes but still smiling.  Jimmy gave her a sheepish grin in return.  "So, you two know each other?"

            Walsh was smiling now.  "Yeah, we go way back."        

            Liz grabbed Walsh's drink along with her own.  "Sorry, guys, but I'm gonna kidnap this one for little while.  We shall return," she stated before walking away.  Walsh was looking puzzled but he followed her over to a corner table.  The others went back to their conversations as they watched the duo sit down.

            Walsh sat with his back to his friends, frowning at Liz.  "Okay, I'm confused.  Did you change your name?"

            "In a manner of speaking."  At Walsh's bewildered look she laid her hand on his arm.  "Liz is just another version of my first name and Magnuson is my maiden name."

            "Maiden name?  Are you divorced?"

            Liz nodded, looking down at the tabletop.  "It's been final for a year now."

            "Why?  Did you or Jeremiah leave?"

            "Miah left.  I guess he decided he wanted a trophy wife instead of one that was a cop."

            Walsh enveloped her hand with his. "I'm sorry."  They looked at each other for few minutes in silence.  Finally Walsh said, "He left because of what happened, didn't he?" 

            Liz didn't answer but tried to remove her hand from his.  Walsh wouldn't let her and he could feel the slight tremble Liz tried to hide.  Finally she whispered, "Yeah."

            Walsh glanced over his shoulder at the others before returning his attention to Liz.  "Do they know?"

            Liz shook her head.  "I don't intend to tell them either."

            It was Walsh's turn to look at the tabletop.  "I'm sorry I didn't contact you when I found out."  He looked up, his face wearing a look of shame.  "I didn't know what to say."

            "Most people didn't."  Liz squeezed his hand.  "I didn't know what to reply either.  Look, how 'bout we change the subject.  How's the family?"

            Walsh gave her a grateful smile. "They're great. Mandy's still as wonderful and Little Billy is getting so big."

            Liz smiled.  "How old is he now?"

            "He'll be ten in a few months."

            Liz shook her head.  "I can remember when he was a baby.  Is he as cute as his old man?"

            Walsh had the grace to blush.  "Mandy thinks so."  Liz released his hand to take a sip of her drink so Walsh did the same before asking, "So, where are you living these days?"

            "In Yorkville, 85th and York.  Got myself a little brownstone with my divorce settlement."

            "Sounds nice."

            "You have to come up and see it some time."  She reached out to touch his cheek.  "Damn but it's good to see you."

            Walsh reached up to hold her hand in place with his.  "It's great to see you too."

            Liz smiled as she glanced over his shoulder.  "Looks like we better get back to the others before the rumors really start to fly.  They're beginning to look a little suspicious at us like I'm trying to seduce you or something."

            Walsh grinned.  "At one time I would have let you."

            This time Liz blushed as they stood.  They joined the others, Liz sitting down between Walsh and DK.  Jimmy inclined his head towards Walsh. "So, Billy, how do you two know each other?"

            "We worked together in the Lower East Side years ago."

            Jimmy raised an eyebrow.  "Oh yeah?  What station were you at?"

            "Fort Pitt."

            DK snickered at Jimmy's look of surprise; he already knew where Walsh had transferred in from.  Sully gave Liz a questioning look.  "What precinct did you work in, Liz?"

            "The 7th precinct." She smiled at Walsh.  "Those were the days."

            Walsh nodded in agreement, "That they were."  He and Liz slowly steered the conversation away from them in the next few minutes, grinning at each other when they finally did so.

            Sully and Faith sat watching Walsh and DK trying to beat Ty and Liz at darts with Jimmy refereeing.  Faith chuckled when Liz leaned in to blow in Walsh's ear while he was concentrating on a throw.  "Wow, I never expected Liz to come out of her shell like that," she said as Walsh totally missed the dartboard with his throw. Walsh turned around to attack Liz, tickling her unmercifully.  DK finally came to Liz's rescue, pulling Walsh away as the whole group laughed.

            Sully sat his pop down, looking at his companion.  "She been pretty quiet in the squad?"

            Faith nodded.  "Yeah.  She has a way of asking me questions that gets me talking and I don't even realize she hasn't said anything.  I learned more about her tonight than I have the last two days."

            "Do you trust her?"

            Faith frowned at Sully.  "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

            Sully shrugged.  "Not that I know."

            Faith leaned her chin on her hand.  "I know she's a damn good cop and I can trust her to watch my back, she proved that at the domestic yesterday."

            "What do you think she's hiding?" Sully asked as he played with his glass.  

            "Is she?  Why do you think she's hiding something?"

            Sully lifted a hand to count on his fingers for emphasis.  "First, she knows an awful lot about us but doesn't tell us much about her.  Second, Walsh called her 'Beth' when he saw her tonight.  Third, from what little she's told us, I've figured out there's a gap of about six years in her career she hasn't told us about.  And fourth, why is she floating if she's got fifteen years in?"

            "Maybe she needed a change," Faith answered.  "As for the rest, I don't know what to tell ya."  She smiled as she watched Walsh reach out to quickly tickle Liz as she went to throw.  Surprisingly, it didn't throw Liz off because the dart hit the bull's eye, ending the game.  Sully and Faith watched as the two hugged then Liz gave DK a quick consolatory hug, which left the firefighting grinning.

            Sully chuckled.  "Think she and Walsh got something going on?"

            Faith looked back at Sully.  "They may have in the past but I doubt it now.  He's married and, despite Liz not telling me much, I get the impression Liz wouldn't have an affair."  

            Sully watched the group get another round of drinks before heading back to their table.  "You're probably right."

            Faith smiled again as she watched the group too.  When she saw DK gently place his hand on the small of Liz's back she nudged Sully, "I think another firefighter may be interested in her."

            Ty rejoining them cut off any response Sully would have given her.   

             Walsh stood, stretching.  "Well, I gotta get myself home before my wife divorces me."  

            Faith rose too, grabbing her purse.  "Me too or Fred will kill me."

            Liz stood to hug Walsh.  "See you later _mi cher 'tit chou," she said with a grin.  _

            Walsh blushed but answered back with a grin of his own, "You bet, _mujer del fuego."  Liz laughed out loud, reaching out to ruffle his hair before she sat back down.  Faith and Walsh headed towards the door, calling out goodbyes to the rest of the gang at the pool table._

             "Do I even want to know what you just called him?"  DK asked as he watched Walsh go out the door.

            "You'll have to ask him."

            DK turned his attention back to her. "Okay, but what language was it in?"

            "Cajun."            

            _"Cajun? He echoed, a puzzled frown crinkling his forehead.  "Where did you learn that?"_

            "From my _grand mère_," she replied, grinning at his reaction.

            "From your who?"

            "My grandmother.  She's from Louisiana, down near Baton Rouge."

            "So you've got some Cajun in you?"

            "Yup, that's the side the red hair comes from."

            "I thought you maybe had some Irish in you."

            "I do on my dad's side, that's where my freckles come from."

            "An Irish Cajun, that's quite a combo."

            Liz gave him a large smile.  "So I've been told," she said, winking at him.  DK laughed as Sully rose from his chair across from them.  

            "I'm gonna call it a night."

            Liz gave him an impish grin.  "Want a ride home?"

            "No thanks, I wanna get there in one piece."

            Liz shook her finger at him.  "Don't you trust my driving?"

            Sully shook his head. "I saw you arrive at work this afternoon on that bike, enough said."

            "You ride a motorcycle?" DK asked, not able to hide his surprise.

            "A Harley," Liz stated. She stood, extending her hand down to DK, "It was nice talking to you, DK.  We'll have to do it again some time."       

            DK grasped her hand, smiling up at her, "I'd like that."

            Liz reached under the table to grab her helmet then turned to Sully.  "Come on, Papa Bear, I'll walk you out."

            Sully waved goodbye to DK and was grumbling to himself as they went outside.  "Are you going to call me that from now on?"  He asked Liz as they walked down the sidewalk.

            "Does it bother you?  If so, I'll stop," she answered, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

            "Naw, it doesn't bother me, I guess."

            They stopped next to her fire engine red Harley Davidson motorcycle parked beside the curb. Liz set her helmet on the seat before turning to face Sully.  She crossed her arms, looking up at him with a very serious look on her face.  "John, your off tomorrow, right?"

            "Yeah.  Why?"

            "How would you like to come over to my place for dinner?"

            Sully stuffed his hands in his pockets.  "Are you asking me over as coworker or as a date?"

            Liz gave him a small smile.  "How 'bout as a coworker hoping to become a good friend?  You'd be saving me from having too many leftovers."

            "We can't have that, now can we?" Sully replied with a small smile of his own.  

            "Does that mean you'll come over?"

            Sully nodded,  "Sure.  Need me to bring anything?"

            "Naw, just yourself," she said, shaking her head.  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, extending it to him.  "Here's my address and phone number in case something comes up though I hope nothing does."

            "Nothing should."  John put the piece of paper in his pocket.  "Thanks."

            Liz smiled again.  "Good night, John."

            "Good night."

            Liz put her helmet on before straddling her bike.  Sully stood on the curb, watching as she started it up.  He gave a small wave when she nodded to him then opened the throttle and took off.  Sully watched her go until she was out of sight before heading home himself. 

~*~*~*~*~*~


	3. Memories and Agreements

            Sully was nervous, which was not normal.  He'd felt fine when he got up but the closer it got in time for him to head over to Liz's place, the more agitated he became.  He  knew it was just two coworkers having dinner but he still felt uneasy.  Despite having only known her for two days, Sully found he liked Liz and hoped they could be friends.  Heaven knows he could use a few more.

            He'd cleaned the apartment but that hadn't taken very long. He hadn't accumulated much since the fire so it didn't take much time to straighten what was there.  Before he let that fact depress him he decided to do his laundry to pass the time.

            While throwing clothes in the washer Sully thought about what he could bring with him, he didn't feel right about showing up empty handed.  One thing he was relieved about was Liz didn't drink either.  He'd been surprised when she'd ordered a diet Coke the night before but hadn't asked why.  Maybe he'd find out that night.

            Maybe he'd also find out the answers to the little things which had been bugging him about Liz.  What he really wanted to know was why she was floating with fifteen years in and why she wouldn't talk about six years of her career.  All he knew was he was going to try to find out.

            Lombardo and DK were throwing a baseball back and forth out front of the station when Lombardo noticed a motorcycle approaching on the street.  He was just going to holler out a warning when the bike swerved wide around DK then drove up onto the sidewalk, stopping right next to the station's open bay door.  Lombardo watched DK glare at the motorcyclist until they pulled off their helmet; a spill of red curls falling to the driver's shoulders.  DK's face lit up with a wide smile.

            "Jesus, Magnuson, you gave me a heart attack!" he stated, walking over to stand beside her.  

            Lombardo saw the female smile at DK as she put her helmet down on the seat of her bike.  "I can think of better ways to give you a heart attack," she quipped as she reached into a saddlebag on the bike.

            DK's smile grew as he chuckled.  "Is that an offer?"

            As she pulled a paper bag out of the saddlebag she looked at DK, her face becoming more serious.  "Not until I get to know you a little better," she stated quietly.

            DK nodded.  "Fair enough.  Whatcha got in the bag?"

            "A treat for Billy and the rest of you."

            "Lucky us."  DK was going to escort her inside when Lombardo cleared his throat behind them.  DK turned towards him, grinning sheepishly.  "Sorry, Joe.  Joe, this is Liz Magnuson, she's a cop over at the five-five working with Yokas.  Liz, this is Joe Lombardo, one of the schmucks Walsh and I work with."

            Liz extended her hand to Lombardo, offering him a friendly smile and a firm handshake.  "Nice to meet you, Joe."

            "Like wise."  Joe frowned suddenly.  "If you're Yokas' partner how come I haven't seen you before?"           

            "I just started two days ago."

            "Oh."  DK grinned as he saw the wheels turning in Lombardo's brain. Lombardo turned to DK, "Then how did you two meet?"

            "She was at Haggarty's last night with the rest of the cops.  Billy, Jimmy, and I went over there after the squad meeting."  DK gently placed his hand on Liz's lower back to steer her inside.  "Come on, let's go find Billy."    

            They went in, Lombardo following right behind them.  DK pointed out their rigs when Liz asked him a question about them and they paused on the stairs.  After DK was done giving Liz her answer they finished going upstairs and found Walsh, Jimmy, Alex, Doc, Carlos, Kim, Lt. Johnson, and Logan sitting at the table.  "Hey, Billy, look who almost ran me over outside," called DK as he reached the top of the stairs.  

            Liz nudged him with her shoulder.  "At least you would have had medical attention close at hand if I had," she stated, smiling at him.

            Walsh rose to greet her, giving her a quick hug.  Most of the others looked on in curiosity, wondering who the woman was.  "B..Liz, what brings you by?"

            "Had to stop by my station for something so I thought I'd bring you a treat."  She handed him the paper bag.

            Walsh gave her a skeptical look before opening the bag.  "Oh my god, Aunt Emma's cookies!" he cried, quickly reaching into the bag to snag one.  He took a quick bite, a look of bliss on his face as he chewed.  "I haven't had one of these in years! Thanks."

            "You're welcome."

            "Hey, Billy, are you gonna share?" Jimmy called out.

            Lt. Johnson stood up. "How 'bout introducing your friend to the rest of us," he hinted.

            "Oh, sorry, lieu.  Liz, this is Lt. Johnson.  You met Jimmy last night.  Next to him is Alex Taylor, paramedics Kim Zambrano, Monte Parker, and Carlos Nieto, and lastly that's Dave Logan.  Everyone, this is Liz Magnuson. She's Faith Yokas' temporary partner."

            Lt. Johnson shook her hand.  "It's nice to meet you, welcome to the neighborhood."

            "Thank you and it's a nice neighborhood you have here," Liz replied in return, smiling.  Walsh had handed the bag of cookies to Jimmy after taking two more for himself.  The gang called out their thanks and compliments as they munched, brushing crumbs off their uniforms.  Liz glanced at her watch. "Billy, sorry to say but I've gotta go. I need to stop over at my station then get home to fix dinner."

            "Okay, I'll walk you out."

            "It was nice meeting you all," she stated as she headed to the stairs.  The crew called out their goodbyes as she and Walsh went down the stairs.  

            A couple of minutes later Walsh came back up, ready for the onslaught of questions.

            "Hey, Billy, how do you know her?" Kim asked, still nibbling on a cookie.

            Walsh grabbed a carton of milk before sitting down.  "I know her from when I worked the Lower East Side at Fort Pitt.  Her partner's brother worked with me there so I saw a lot of her."

            Carlos waved a cookie at Walsh.  "These cookies are great.  Can she cook too?"            "Yes, she can.  We used to have potluck suppers once a week and she was always there, bringing something delicious to share with us.  Man, we all looked forward to potluck night, partly because we didn't have to cook, partly because all the wives or girlfriends sent such good food over."

            DK plopped down next to Walsh.  "A nice girl like that who can bake and cook, how did you let her get away?"

            Walsh rolled his eyes.  "Well, there was one small problem, she was already married."

             "Is she still married?" Carlos asked.

            Walsh looked down at the table as he played with his milk carton.  "No, not any more," he replied.

            Before they could ask anymore questions about Walsh's friend a call for a motor vehicle accident came out, effectively ending the conversation.  As Lt. Johnson climbed into the cab he looked over at Walsh and said, "Your friend can stop by anytime if she brings us more cookies."

            Walsh chuckled.  "I'll tell her that."

            Sully stood on the stoop of Liz's brownstone, nervously looking around.  He liked the flowers in the flowerbox under the front picture window and the pots of flowers on the stairs; they made the place look cheerful and inviting.  He saw there was a doorknocker in the shape of a Celtic cross on the door and a doorbell, making him wonder which one to use.  He finally decided to use the doorbell, stuffing his free hand in his pocket after her pushed it.  He was startled when the door finally opened because he hadn't heard Liz approach.

            "Hi, John, come on in," she said, smiling at him.  She opened the screen door wider and motioned for him to come in.  Sully returned her smile as he passed by her into a  very pleasant entry way.  Liz helped him off with his coat then lead him down the hall to a cozy kitchen filled with wonderful aromas.  Sully felt himself start to relax.

            He extended the bottle he had in a paper bag  to her.  "Here, my mother always told me it wasn't polite to show up empty handed."

            Liz took the package, a slightly puzzled look on her face. When she pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider she gave him a wide smile.  "Thanks, John.  Let me put in the freezer to chill a bit. Have a seat."

            Sully looked over to see the small table in the bay window was already set.  He sat down while Liz  busied herself with finishing dinner.  Looking around Sully replied, "Nice place you've got here.  You got money in your background?"

            Liz chuckled.  "No, just a really good divorce settlement."

            "Is it better when it's bought with someone else's money?"

            Pausing as she put bread in a basket, Liz quietly said, "No."

            An uncomfortable silence fell between them for a few minutes as Liz started putting the food on the table.  Sully noticed the potted herbs on the window sill.  "You some kind of gourmet cook?"

            "Naw, just an ordinary cook.  I hear you know a little bit about cooking."

            Sully smiled as Liz put a pan of lasagna on the trivet in the middle of the table.  "That smells great.  Who have you been talking to about me?"

            "Who do you think?"

            "Swersky."

            "Bingo."  Liz went to get the cider out of the freezer as Sully looked over the food.  It was a simple meal: salad, lasagna, and french bread.  As Liz poured cider in a glass she asked, "Does that bother you?"

            Sully frowned.  "A little.  Gives you the advantage."

Liz set a glass in front of him.  "Is this some kind of game?"  
"Not on my side."

            "Not on mine either."  Liz sat down across from him.  "Look, John, Mike and I have been friends for a long time and since he became your commanding officer I've heard a lot about you and the rest of your coworkers.  Knowing that, I also want you to know he's been discrete with what he's told me.  He hasn't told me anything that is confidential, he wouldn't do that."

            "Lieu is a good guy, I agree."  Sully held Liz's gaze.  "How much do you tell Swersky?"

            "What ever you tell me stays between us, I promise, and I don't make promises I can't keep."

            Sully searched Liz's face and could see she meant what she said. He smiled.  "Okay.  Now let's try that wonderful smelling lasagna."

             "You got it."  Liz stood to serve him and the tension in the room disappeared.

            Faith's nerves were frazzled.  Emily had only been home for a couple of hours and all their conversation had consisted of were snipes by Emily until Fred came in the door, then Emily had ignored her.  They'd worked on Emily's and Charlie's homework while Faith had made dinner and the mood in the room had improved but Faith felt left out.  Now dinner was over, the dishes were washed, and Fred and the kids were arguing over what to watch on tv as Faith headed to her bedroom.  She stood by the window, looking out at the neighborhood which appeared quiet for the moment.  Lost in thought she didn't hear Fred come in the room.

            "Faith, you okay?"  He came up behind her to slip his arms around her.

            Faith leaned back in his embrace, sighing.  "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little tired," she said softly.  

            "Are you sure?"

            "Yeah."  When Fred moved to leave she stopped him by holding his arms in place.   "Stay for just a little while."

            "Okay."  Fred kissed her temple before joining her in watching out the window in silence.

            Sully felt good.  As dinner progressed he had relaxed, enjoying both the food and the company.  Liz had turned out to be a very good cook and an even wittier conversationalist.  They'd talked about their families, their upbringings, and the job a little.  While Liz stacked the dishes in the sink, Sully explored her living room.  He'd been amazed at the size of it but then had realized it was supposed to be both a dining room and a living room.  Liz was using it just as a living room with conversation groupings of furniture, lots of bookshelves, and lots of family photos.  He'd found some of Liz's early days on the force and had chuckled when he saw a picture of a much younger Swersky.  He'd also found a much younger Walsh and Liz on what appeared to be camping trip, smiling as they were getting into a canoe.  He had just walked over to the piano when Liz came in the room.

            "So, did you learn a few more things about me?"

            "Maybe."  He pointed to the piano.  "Do you play?"

            "A little.  Most of the time I tried to avoid piano lessons more than take them when I was a kid."  Liz sat on one end of the bench and motioned for Sully to join her.  "I only started playing again when I moved in here, the piano came with the place.  Surprisingly, the elderly lady who I bought it from kept it nicely tuned and left some sheet music behind."

            Sully looked at the sheet music propped up on the stand.  "What kind of song it this?  I don't recognize it."

            Liz chuckled.  "That's because I had to write it up myself.  It's an old country song which is one of my dad's favorites.  I had to convert it over from guitar chords."  Liz didn't glance at the sheet music as she started playing a thumping, catchy beat.  Then she began to sing, 

"Every once in a while I get it this way, the blues of the sky turn watery gray.  I'm walkin' my blues, can't hold up my chin, I've had it before and I've got it again.  I've had it before, I've got it again, but this times it's worse than it's ever been.  I'm walkin' my blues, I know I can't win, I've had it before and I've got it again."

She finished with a flurry of fingers.

           "Depressing words for such an upbeat melody," Sully stated.  

           "Yeah, they are but they're also very true."

           "Why are country songs always so depressing?"

           Liz elbowed Sully in the ribs gently.  "They aren't always but they are songs about life.  Do you find life always cheery?"

           "No."

           "I rest my case."  She started playing again, a song Sully immediately recognized the opening chords to.  He felt himself go stiff as his breath caught in his throat.  Liz must have sensed something because she stopped.  "John, are you okay?"

           "Uh, I…"  he stammered, looking down at his hands.  Finally he looked back up, his gaze slightly unfocused.  "I played that song on the first date my wife and I went on."

           "I'm sorry, I didn't know."  Sully almost jumped out of his skin when Liz started pounding on the keys again.  "How 'bout something more upbeat!"

           Sully grinned when Liz broke into an imitation of Jerry Lee Lewis, "You shake my nerves and you rattle brain, too much love drives a man insane."  He joined her on the next line, "You broke my will, oh what a thrill.  Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

           They heartily sang their way through the song, Sully taking over some of the playing on the piano keys. They were both laughing when they finished.  "For not playing much you were doing some fancy finger work," Sully stated.

           "You were doing pretty good yourself," Liz retorted, smiling at him.  She started playing a slow, bluesy number.  "I didn't mean to treat you bad, I didn't know just what I had.  But, honey, now I do and don't it make my brown eyes, don't it make my brown eyes, don't it make my brown eyes blue…"   She finished the last twinkling notes and looked over at him.

           "You've got a nice voice," Sully stated.

           "Thanks, you're being kind.  I think I was a lounge singer in a past life," Liz answered with a grin.  "How 'bout some coffee and dessert."

           "Sounds great."

           "Come on."  Liz lead him back into the kitchen.

           DK realized Walsh wasn't watching the basketball game with the rest of the crew so he went to find him.  He found his errant coworker out on the roof, looking at two photos.  "Whatcha doin', Billy?" DK asked as he pulled up a chair.

           "Nothin'."  

           Taking the photos gently from Walsh's hand, DK looked them over.  The first was a picture of two fire fighters and two cops in dress uniforms, smiling at the camera while saluting with beers in their hands.  DK realized one of the firefighters was Walsh and one of the cops was Liz.  The other two in the picture had to be brothers because they looked too much alike not to be related.  "Who are they?" DK asked, pointing to the two guys he didn't know.

           "The cop is Tom Keats, Liz's former partner.  The firefighter is Patrick Keats, Tom's little brother, who worked with me at Fort Pitt. That was taken at another firefighter's wedding."

           "You all look so young."           

           "Well, that was about 11 years ago."

           DK looked at the other photo. This one was just Walsh and Liz together on what appeared to be a camping trip.  They were sitting next to each other on a rock, tying their boots, and trying to ignore the camera.  "How long ago was this?"

           "That was from the same summer.  The four of us went camping for a weekend."  Billy smiled, a far away look in his eye.  "That was one hell of a weekend."

           "Looks like you guys were close."

           "We were, like the four musketeers."

           "What happened?"

           "Liz transferred to Midtown, Tom was run over by a car while directing traffic at a fire scene, and I transferred up here about a year later."

           "You and Liz just lost touch with each other?"

           "We called each other for a while but never had time to get together.  Then Mandy had Billy Jr and there was even less time.  I think it was hard on Liz after Tom died, I think talking to me reminded her too much of him."

           "Is that why you didn't know she had transferred to the 55?"

           "Sort of, it's a long story."

           DK could see it was a story Walsh didn't want to share right then. He looked at the photos again.  "They look a bit worn, where did you keep them?"

           Billy pulled out his wallet as he took the photos back.  "In here.  I'd forgotten they were there until I saw Liz last night and I went looking for them.  Found a few of Mandy from back then too."

           "Do Liz and Mandy know each other?"

           "Oh yeah, Liz hosted a baby shower when Mandy was pregnant with Billy.  Even though I hadn't seen her, Liz sent Christmas presents for Billy for a couple of years."

           DK found he couldn't read his friend's face to find out how Walsh felt about seeing Liz again.  "So, it's a good thing seeing Liz again?"

           "Very good," Walsh stated quickly.  "I didn't realize how much I'd missed her until I saw her again."  He stood up, stretching.  "The basketball game still on?"

           "Yeah."

           "Let's go see who's winning."  The duo went back inside.

           Sully took a sip of his coffee before asking, "How long have you been sober?"

           Putting her forkful of apple crisp down, Liz raised an eyebrow at him.  "Since February 14, 2002.  How 'bout you?"

           "I think you already know that answer."  Liz just nodded in reply.  "How did it happen?"

           "The addiction or the intervention?"

           Sully sighed, "The intervention."

           "My divorce was finalized on that day.  That night Mike and another detective friend found me passed out in my apartment, almost dead from alcohol poisoning." Liz rested her chin on her hand.  "I haven't had a drop since."

           "You go to AA?"

           Liz shook her head.  "No but I do lean on certain friends when I need to.  How 'bout you?"

           "Yeah, Davis wanted me to.  Why don't you go?"

           "I'm not good at telling personal things to strangers."

           Sully looked back at her in surprise.  "You've told me some things tonight."

           Giving him a wry smile, Liz replied, "I've told you what I'd tell a friend: things about my family, general things about the job, some of my likes and dislikes, etc.  I haven't let you into my psyche nor will I until I trust you more."

           "More?  That mean you already trust me some?"

           Liz nodded.  "I've gotten to know you a little over the last two days and I already knew some of your character from what Mike had told me.  I also realize I have to give you a little trust to get some in return."

           Sully wasn't sure what to say so he took a bite of his apple crisp instead.  Liz watched him for a moment before she took a sip of her tea. Finally Sully asked,  "Did you get divorced because of the alcohol?"

           Shaking her head, Liz put her mug down.  "No, what caused the divorce is what also caused me to start drinking." She pushed her half full plate away before turning to look out the window.

           "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

           Liz slowly turned to look at him.  "I know you didn't and I'm sorry for spoiling the evening.  Some day I'll tell the whole story of my life, John, but I'm not ready to yet.  Can you respect that?"

           "Yeah, I can."  He paused before asking, "Will you tell me about the six years of your career you haven't talked about then too?"

           Liz smiled.  "Figured that out, huh?  Maybe you should try to be a detective."

           "No thanks, I prefer being on the street.  You didn't answer my question."

           "Yes, I'll tell you in time.  When I do, will you tell me about Tatiana?"

           Sully went still for a moment. When he finally spoke again his words were quiet.  "Yes, when you share your story with me, I'll share my story with you."  He stopped, giving her a humorless smile.  "At least what you don't already know."

           "Fair enough."  Liz extended her hand across the table.  "Shake on it?"

           Sully took Liz's hand in his, gently gripping it.  They shook hands but when Liz moved to extract her hand from his, Sully held it tighter.  "Tell me one thing, why did you invite me over?"

           Liz squeezed his hand before saying, "Because I see the potential of a great friend in you."           

           That made Sully smile as he released her hand.  They went back to more casual banter as they finished their dessert.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	4. Partners and Friends

Liz was just sitting down with the newspaper and a cup of tea when the front doorbell rang.  She was pleasantly surprised to find Bill Walsh standing on her doorstep, a plant in hand.  Liz opened the door, ushering him inside while exclaiming, "Billy, what a great surprise!  What brings you by?"

            "I decided I wanted to see where you live and had some errands to run so I came over."

            Liz pointed at the plant in his hand.  "What's that?"

            "It's a housewarming present, even if it is a little late."

            "Thank you."  Liz took the plant from him, setting it on a table in the hall.  She turned around to be engulfed in a big hug which she returned with enthusiasm.  "I don't have to guess you're happy to see me."     

            Billy grinned at her.  "Very happy.  I didn't realize until I saw you the other night how much I've missed you."

            "Same here.  Come on, I can put some coffee on."  Walsh followed her down the hall to the kitchen.  Liz motioned for him to sit while she started up the coffee maker.

             Walsh found he couldn't stop grinning as he watched Liz bustle about. "Do you make coffee better than you used to?"

            Grinning, Liz nodded.  "Yes, I do.  A friend taught me the finer points of making coffee so it'll be drinkable but I still don't drink it myself."

            "Nice to see some things haven't changed."  Liz put a plate of cookies in front of him causing Walsh to chuckle.  "A lot of things haven't changed."

            "The old adage "the more things change, the more they stay the same" is rather true, my dear."  

            "In some ways."  Walsh watched her pull a mug out of the cupboard then wait for the coffee to stop brewing.  After she poured him a cup and sat down across from him, he stated, "But in your case so many things changed."

            "Yes, they have."

            "Looks like you got a lot out of the divorce."           

            Liz shook her head.  "Why does everyone look at the money you get out of a divorce?  Why does it always have to be about getting something for yourself?"

            Walsh frowned.  "I don't know, I guess everyone expects the parties to be out for themselves and grabbing everything they can."

            "I may have gotten money out of it but I lost a lot more of value than I gained."

            "You didn't want to get divorced?"

            Liz sighed.  "That's a complicated question, Bill.  I wanted Miah to be happy so I let him go, I agreed to get divorced.  We had been drifting apart for a while any way even though we still loved each other.  You know how different we were from each other." Walsh nodded. "Those differences just grew as he entrenched himself deeper in the social scene and his computer business  while I ended up working more and more.  I also think he started to rethink our decision not to have children.  He's much happier with his new wife."

            "He's already remarried?"

            "Yeah and expecting his first child this summer."    

            "That has to hurt."

            "Not in the way you'd think.  We're actually still friends, he calls from time to time."  Liz took a sip of her tea.  "Let's talk about you for a little while."

            "Not much to learn about me.  Mandy and I are still together and still happy.  Billy Jr is growing like a weed and quite the little athlete." He grinned at her again.  "I told her about seeing you and she wants you to come over for dinner really soon.  She's missed you too."

            "She always was sweet.  Still liking working at your station?"

            "Oh, yeah.  The crew has changed some since I first transferred but I work with a good group of guys." He stopped, grinning.  "Plus one gal who you met yesterday. Lt. Johnson is a great guy, one of the fairest supervisors I've ever had."

            "He seemed very nice. No infighting?"

            "Naw, we all get along pretty good, even the medics.  There are a few odd ducks in the group but we work together well."

            "A little different than Ft. Pitt?"

            "Yep.  How do you like working at the 55?"

            Liz's face lit up.  "It's great working with Mike again and I like my coworkers quite a bit.  I had John Sullivan over for dinner last night and I like my partner."

            "Faith is nice. She say why she and Bosco broke up?"     

            "No, but if she had I wouldn't tell you unless she said I could."

            Walsh shook his head.  "You always have been tight lipped, at least when it comes to someone confiding in you." Liz blushed crimson, reading between the lines of what Walsh had said.  Walsh grinned  :"Sorry, couldn't resist.  I found a picture from that camping trip in my wallet the other night after I got home."

            He was surprised when Liz suddenly got up and left the room.  She returned with a framed photo in her hand which she extended to him.  When he saw the image he smiled, also turning a bit pink around the ears.  "This photo has gone everywhere with me, always sitting right next to my photo of Swersky and I on foot patrol from my rookie year."

            Setting the photo gently on the table, Walsh said quietly, "That was one hell of a weekend, wasn't it?"

            Reaching out to run her fingers through his hair, Liz replied, "Left a lot of "what ifs" hanging between us.  Things worked out for the best though."

            "Yeah, I guess."  He reached up to take her hand in his.  "So, you got a new man in your life?"  

            Walsh both saw and felt Liz stiffen at his words so he stood quickly to hug her.  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

            Liz laid her head on his shoulder. "I know and it's okay." She sighed.  "No, I don't have any men in my life that way, I've been too scared to try."

            Walsh pulled back to look down in her face.  "Why?"

            "The obvious reasons for one.  Also, how could I try to start a new life with someone when I haven't picked up all the pieces from the last one?"

            "I hadn't thought about it that way."  Walsh kissed her on the forehead before releasing her, causing Liz to give him a small smile.  "Have you found any one you're even interested in?"

            Liz sat back down.  "I haven't socialized much and there's definitely been no one at work. I've worked with some real asses before coming to the five-five."

            "Then why don't you stay at the five five?"

            "I may.  So far it's going good."  Liz took a sip of her tea before asking, "Do you ever talk to Patrick Keats?"            

            Walsh shook his head.  "Not for about five years now.  I now he transferred to Station 41 and made it through 9/11."

            "I checked the list of casualties for you, him, and a few others I know.  I was lucky, you all made it."

            "I can't say the same."

            "How many from your station?"

            "Four."

            "I'm sorry."

            "Me too."  Walsh glanced at his watch.  "Damn, I gotta get going because I've got a few more things to do before work."

            Liz hurried over to the counter to put some cookies in a baggy,.  She handed the bag to Walsh as he stood.  "A little treat to take with you."

            "You always did make the best cookies," He stated as he took the bag,  They headed to the front door, their arms around each others waists.  At the door they hugged again.

            "Thanks for stopping by, _mi cher 'tit chou_," Liz stated softly.

            Walsh grinned at the old endearment.  "It's so great to see you again, _ amoureaux."_

            He leaned over to kiss her lightly on the lips before pushing out the door.  Liz watched him go, waving as he got in his car.  Walsh found he was smiling for the rest of the morning,.          

Faith couldn't take it any longer, the walls of the apartment felt like they were closing in.  She'd managed to get all the laundry done and the apartment cleaned but she felt restless.  After fifteen minutes of fidgeting while trying to read, Faith gave up.

            She quickly wrote a note for Fred and the kids, grabbing her purse before heading out the door.  Faith started walking, not really paying attention to where she was going.  When she was tired of walking she got on the subway and rode.  She finally got off, blinking as she emerged back into the late afternoon sunshine.

            Faith looked around her, realizing she was in the Upper East Side close to Yorkville.  She walked through the quieter neighborhood streets, feeling a little more at peace, as she looked at all the flower boxes on the stoops.  It suddenly dawned on her that her new partner lived somewhere in the area.  Faith dug through her purse, eventually coming across Liz's business card that her partner had given to her two days earlier.  She looked as the address listed on the back then around her to get her bearings.  She realized she was only a few blocks away.

            The brownstone her partner owned was on the corner and easily found.  Faith leaned over to smell the flowers in the window box before she rang the doorbell.  She was beginning to think Liz wasn't home when the inside door opened.  Her partner had a surprised look on her face but her smile was welcoming as she opened the outer door, saying, "Faith, this is a pleasant surprise.  Come on in."

            "I was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd stop by," Faith replied as she stepped into the front hall.  She looked around as Liz pulled the gloves off she'd been wearing.

            "Lucky for me, I was just going to take a break and get something to drink.  Join me?"

            "Sure."  Faith followed her partner's bobbing ponytail into the kitchen. Liz motioned for her to have a seat at the table while she grabbed two glasses from a cupboard.  "What can I get for you?  Iced tea, lemonade, water, milk, diet Coke, juice?"  Liz craned her head around to look at Faith.

            "Uh, lemonade."

            "One lemonade coming up."  Liz pulled two pitchers out, placing them on the counter.  Faith let her gaze wander around the kitchen as Liz poured two glasses. "So, you enjoying your days off?" she asked as she put a glass in front of Faith.

            Faith shrugged as she sipped her lemonade.  "I guess."  She put her glass down, playing with it on the table.  "Got the apartment cleaned and the laundry done.  The place was a little too quiet, you know, so I decided to get out for awhile."

            Liz looked at her steadily for a moment before standing up.  "Grab you glass and follow me."

            Puzzled, Faith stood up to follow her partner.  She left her purse on the kitchen table, picked up her glass then went out the back door right behind Liz.  Faith paused on the top step, looking around.  The backyard was almost a well-tended forest with blossoming apple trees, early spring flowers, and what looked like the beginning of a vegetable garden.  "Wow," she exclaimed.

            Sitting down on a bench, Liz smiled up at her.  "This is my sanctuary.  Whenever something's bugging me I come out here and dig, plant, read, or just sit.  Reminds me of being back in Iowa just a little, except there's no corn."

            Faith found herself laughing at the little joke.  She sat down on the other end of the bench, tucking a leg underneath herself.  "It's really nice."

            "Thanks." They were silent for a few minutes and Faith realized she could hear birds singing.  It had been a long time since she's listened to the sounds of nature and she felt herself relaxing.  Finally Liz spoke again,   "Faith, why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

            "Nothing's bothering me," Faith retorted, not looking at her partner.

            "Come on, Faith, I'm not an idiot.  I've gotten to know you a little these last few days and I can tell you've got something on your mind.  And it seems you want to tell me or you wouldn't have wandered up to Yorkville, I know it wasn't on a whim.  Talk to me."

            Faith looked around her again before sighing.  "I don't know where to start."

            "Why don't you start with Bosco.  I know running in to him the other day upset you."

            Finally looking at her partner, Faith drew in a breath before telling Liz about her problems with Bosco.  Once she started she found she couldn't stop and she told Liz everything, including Bosco's problems after 9/11, her abortion, and her cancer.  Talking about her physical problems lead Faith into telling Liz more in depth about her family problems than she had while riding in the rmp. When she was finished she realized she had tears flowing down her cheeks.  Liz pulled some tissues out of her jeans pocket and handed them to Faith, a concerned look on her face.  "Bet you regret asking me now, huh?" Faith tried to joke, but her laugh bordered on a sob.  

            "Not at all, I'm glad you finally got it off your chest."  Liz moved a little closer to Faith to lay a hand on Faith's shoulder.  "You've been carrying a lot of pain and doubt around without anyone to talk to.  You used to talk to Bosco but he became part of the problem.  It sounds like you don't feel that you fit in at home, that they really don't need you anymore." Liz paused, a sad look on her face.  "Believe it or not, you're mourning over the end of your partnership with Bosco, both professionally and personally. Grieving takes a while to work through, it's not going to happen over night."

            Faith didn't respond because the tears started falling faster.  She tried to wipe them away but finally gave in with choking sound, dropping her head into her hands.  Liz moved closer to pull Faith's head to her shoulder, stroking  her partner's hair with one hand while making soothing circular motions on Faith's back with the other. Faith sobbed for a few minutes then quieted, pushing away from Liz to wipe at her nose with the rumpled tissues in her hand.  

            While Faith composed herself, Liz stood to gather their drinking glasses.  When Faith appeared ready Liz draped an arm around the other woman's shoulders, pulling her up and leading her back inside.  Liz handed her a box of tissues before moving away to put the glasses in the sink.  When Faith was done blowing her nose, Liz asked, "Are you staying for dinner?"

            "Oh, my god, what time is it?"  Faith cried, glancing at her watch.  "I told Fred I'd be home to cook dinner in my note.  I guess I'll have to pick something up!"  

            As she started to look around for her purse, Liz grasped her shoulders, forcing Faith to look at her.  "Faith, does your family like spaghetti?"

            "What?  Uh, yeah."

            Liz smiled at her partner's confusion.  "Okay, call Fred and see if they've started making dinner yet.  If he hasn't, tell him we're bringing it back with us."   

            "We are?"

            "Yes, we are."  Liz let go of Faith to grab the phone, handing it to her before heading into a small room off the kitchen.  When she returned Faith was ending her conversation.

            "Yes, Fred, I'll be home shortly and I'll bring dinner with me.  See you soon."  Faith turned off the phone and set it back on its cradle as she eyed Liz suspiciously.  Her partner had a basket in her hands full of items.  "What's that?"

            "Dinner," Liz answered as she put the basket on the table.  She opened the fridge to pull out some more items.  "There are two jars of homemade spaghetti sauce and a box of pasta in there."  She added what she pulled out of the fridge to the basket.  "I had a pound of hamburger already thawed, a bag of lettuce in the crisper, and I baked this morning so we have bread and brownies for dessert.  Anything else we need?"

            Faith started shaking her head.  "I can't let you do this."

            "Why not?  This way you have dinner almost done and I get to meet your family.  It's a win-win situation," Liz stated with a grin.

            Despite the heavy emotions earlier, Faith found herself returning the smile with one of her own.  "Well, when you put it that way."

            "Good.  Let me go throw on some clean clothes and lock up then we can go."  

            Faith sat down at the table to wait while her partner headed upstairs, not believing her partner was for real.

            A knock at the door made Sully pause while playing his guitar.  When the knock was repeated he set the instrument down to see who was there.  For once he welcomed having company which was something he hadn't felt in a long time.  He'd found himself in a good mood when he woke up and the sunny, rather warm weather had just added to his good mood.  Sully had gone out to get a coffee and his paper in the middle of the afternoon and after dinner he'd felt the urge to get out his guitar.  He'd grinned at himself when he thought the musical urge must have been a residual effect from the night before.

            He opened the door to find a grinning Ty standing there.  Ty held up a bag.  "I brought dessert, you gonna let me in?"

            "Sure, come on in."  Sully motioned for Ty to sit down on the couch after accepting the bag from his partner.  He opened it to find doughnuts so he asked, "Want some coffee?"

            "That would be nice."  When Sully brought the doughnuts out on a plate and handed Ty a cup of coffee, the younger man grinned at him.  "How'd dinner go?"

            "Fine. Liz is a good cook and a nice lady."  
            "Did you find out all the answers to the questions you had?"

            "No, but Liz promised to tell me someday."  Sully smiled at Ty.  "She did admit there were six years of her career she hadn't talked about."

            Ty shook his head.  "You the man!  You were right that she was hiding something."

            Sully looked thoughtful.  "She still is, technically, since she really didn't answer my questions.  I think that lady had something bad happen to her, Ty, something really bad.  She's picking up the pieces of her life just like I am."

            "Why do you say that?"

            "Because she's recovering too and she stated the drinking started not because of her divorce but what caused the divorce.  For a woman like Liz to fall into the bottle, I just think something drastic happened."

            "Sounds like you two really talked last night."

            "We did a little but we talked about a lot of things.  I really enjoyed myself."

            Ty pointed at the guitar.  "Is that what brought on the musical urge?"

            "Yeah, she plays the piano a little."

            "Seems like you two have quite a bit in common.  Any chance of romance?"

            Sully frowned at him.  "Don't you know that a man and a woman can be just friends?"

            "Yeah but I'm just curious. Any sparks?"

            "Some, but as friends, nothing more.  I'm not ready for that."

            It was Ty's turn to look sheepish.  "Sorry, I didn't think about that."    

            "Funny thing is I didn't think about it much last night either."  Sully smiled, a rare wide smile that Ty found himself returning.  They settled into playful chatter as they munched on the doughnuts.

            Walsh was sitting at the table eating a cookie and reading the paper when Jimmy, DK, and Lt. Johnson walked in.

            "Hey, you got enough to share?"  Jimmy asked.

            Frowning, Walsh replied, "Don't you ever stop wondering if there's something for you, Doherty?"

            "Nope."

            Glancing at the bag to see how many cookies were left, he extended it to Lt. Johnson.  "Three left, one for each of you."

            "Thanks, Billy," said the lieutenant as he took the bag, sitting down beside his subordinate.  DK brought him a cup of coffee then sat down across from them.  Lt. Johnson slid the bag across the table to him with DK nodding his thanks.

            Jimmy snagged the last cookie from DK before sitting down himself.  "Uhm, these are the same kind as the other day.  You get these from Liz?"

            "Yeah, I stopped to see her today before coming to work.  She's got a nice place."

            Lt. Johnson swallowed the bite he'd been chewing before asking, "You two are close?"

            Walsh found himself smiling.  "Used to be very close, just drifted apart when our careers took us to different parts of the city.  It's great to see her again."

            "She strikes me as one of those quiet ones who have a hidden wild streak," commented DK.

            "If that's not the pot calling the kettle black," retorted Jimmy, causing DK to scowl at him while the other two laughed.

            "You two don't have to agree with him."

            "Sorry, DK, but he's got a point," chuckled Lt. Johnson.  He finished his coffee before standing up.  "Billy, thanks for the cookie.  I got paperwork calling my name."

            "Better yours than mine, Boss," chided Jimmy.

            "Lord help us if you have to do paperwork, Jimmy," commented the lieutenant as he walked towards his office.  The others just laughed before resuming a conversation about the items in the sports page Walsh was reading.

~*~*~*~*~*~*


	5. A Day on the Job

            Apprehensive about how her partner was going to treat her, Faith slowly pushed the locker room door open. She saw Liz was at her locker, already dressed. Faith walked over to her own, avoiding looking at her partner.

            "Good afternoon, Faith."  Liz smiled at her before ducking back into her locker to grab her shoes.

            "Hey, Liz."  Faith busied herself with getting dressed, relieved when her partner didn't try to start a conversation.  Liz just smiled at her again before she headed over to the mirrors to put up her hair.  She heard Liz greet Sully and Davis as they came in and she walked out.  Faith was tucking in her shirt when she heard Davis call to her.

            "Hi, Faith.  Did you have a good time off?"

            "It was okay, just did a lot of things around the house.  Hey, Sul."

            "Hey, Faith."

            The two men busied themselves with getting dressed as Faith finished.  She put her hair up then headed to briefing.  She was surprised when Liz didn't say anything more to her, even as they climbed into their RMP.  As Faith started the car she asked, "So, you want to say anything about yesterday?"

            Liz shrugged.  "We can talk as little or as much about it as you want."

            "Okay."  They rode in silence for a couple of minutes before Faith said, "Thanks for dinner last night."

            Grinning, Liz replied, "It was my pleasure.  Your Charlie sure can put it away, can't he?"

            Faith found herself smiling in return.  "When he likes something, yeah.  He can be a bit picky at times but what do expect out of a ten year old?"

            "True."

            "Sorry that Emily was rather rude to you."

            "Hey, you don't have to apologize for her."  Liz leaned her head on her hand.  "She's your typical teen.  I'm just glad you didn't get mad at me when I gave her attitude back."

            Faith chuckled at the memory.  "Actually, I was glad you did.  Maybe she'll realize it's not only me who thinks she needs to straighten up."

            "Ah, but that just supports the teen thinking that all adults are out to get them."

            "We are, aren't we?"

            Liz laughed, which was infectious, and the mood lightened considerably in the car.

            "Oh, this is just peachy."  Faith frowned as she pulled the squad up to the accident scene.  Liz was radioing they were on scene while also starting to get out of the car.  Faith cursed under her breath as they both rushed up to the vehicles involved.  They were at a three vehicle pile-up: a four door sedan pushed against a light pole, a pickup truck smashed into the other side, and a motorcycle wedged under the truck.  Faith could hear her partner radioing for additional ambulances as she reached a male standing next to the truck.  "Sir, are you okay?"

            The male looked a bit stunned.  "Yeah, I think so."

            "Were you driving the truck?"    

            "Yeah."

            "Was there anyone else with you?"

            "No."

            "Can you go sit over there on the sidewalk while I help the others?"  The man nodded, walking wobbly to the other side of the street.  Faith started towards the sedan as she saw her partner kneeling down by the motorcycle.  She had to circle around the car to the passenger side, gaining access through the back door. Inside was an elderly couple, both unconscious.  Faith took off a glove to feel for pulses in their necks and was relieved when she found one for each. Both of the front doors were jammed shut, the driver's door by the pickup truck and the passenger door by the light pole.  Faith could hear more sirens approaching as she went to find her partner.

            Faith was startled when she couldn't see Liz anywhere.  As she got closer to the motorcycle she could hear her partner talking but she still couldn't see her.  It took a moment before she realized Liz was under the truck, talking to someone.  "Liz?"

            "Under here, Faith!" she heard  her partner's muffled voice answer.

            Crouching down beside the truck and the motorcycle, Faith still couldn't see Liz.  "What are you doing under there?"

            "I'm talking to Scooter, the driver of the motorcycle."

            "Oh.  How badly is he hurt?"

            Faith could hear Liz moving around.  "Feels like an open compound fracture to his left leg.  There's not much blood but that could be because  the bike is applying pressure to his femoral artery.  If that's the case we're gonna have to act fast once the bike is moved.  Fire here yet?"

            "They're just pulling up."

            Faith was startled when Liz's latex gloved hand shot out between the truck frame and the motorcycle holding a card.  "Here's Scooter's DL.  How are the others?"

            "Pickup driver's fine.  There's an elderly couple in the sedan, both unconscious." Faith heard air brakes applied as the engine pulled up so she stood, looking for the lieutenant.  She put Scooter's driver's license in her pocket as the fire fighters spilled out, grabbing equipment.  Lt. Johnson made a bee-line towards her.

            "Yokas, what've we got?"

            Pointing to the sedan, Faith answered, "Elderly couple, both unconscious, both trapped.  The driver of the pickup is fine and sitting on the sidewalk over there."  She turned back towards the motorcycle.  "The driver of the motorcycle is stuck under his bike which is wedged under the truck.  My partner's under there with him and she says he's got an open compound fracture to his left leg but she thinks the bike is putting pressure on his artery because there's not much blood."

            "Magnuson's under there?"  

            "Yeah."

            Johnson's crew gathered around him for assignments.  "Doherty, Walsh, and Taylor, take the sedan.  Lombardo, disconnect the battery in the sedan, Logan do the same to the pickup.  DK, you're with me and the motorcycle."

            Everybody scrambled to do what they were assigned.  Lt. Johnson walked around the motorcycle, trying to see all angles.  "Magnuson, can you hear me?"

            "Hey, Lieu!  How's it going?" he heard her call back.

            DK kneeled down beside the truck to look underneath but grinned up at his supervisor at Liz's response. Lt. Johnson shook his head before asking, "How's the driver?"

            "Scooter's got a broken leg which is trapped under his bike.  He's wearing a leather jacket and a helmet so he doesn't appear to have any other injuries.  He's awake and coherent but in a lot of pain."

            Lt. Johnson looked at DK.  "Did she say Scooter?"

            "She sure did."

            Shaking his head again, Lt. Johnson stated, "Why don't you crawl out of there."

            "Sorry, Lieu, no can do.  Scooter's a bit claustrophobic so he's rather partial to my company right now."  Johnson and DK both heard a thump followed by an "Ow!".

            "You okay, Liz?"  DK called.

            "Yeah, just forgot I can't raise my head."

            Both men were snickering when Doc and Kim rushed up to them with their equipment.  Lt. Johnson filled them in on the predicament while DK headed back to the engine for the airbags.  The others had peeled back the roof of the sedan and were helping the other paramedics get the elderly couple ready for extrication.  Faith was talking to the driver of the pickup while keeping an eye on the traffic wending its way around the scene.  Doc knelt down by the bike.  "Magnuson!"

            "Yeah?"

            "It's Monte Parker.  Can you put a c-collar on the driver?"

            "Well, he does have his helmet on.  Do you want me to take it off to put the collar on or try to do it with the helmet still on?"

            "Leave the helmet on if you can."  He was startled when Liz's hand came out from between the truck and the motorcycle, almost falling backwards but caught himself.  Kim handed him the collar while trying to fight back laughter.  Doc gave her a sour look before putting the collar in the extended hand.  They watched as it disappeared back under the truck and out of sight.  They could hear some rustling around then a couple of thumps followed by muffled curses.  

            When the sounds died down they heard Magnuson call out, "It's on!"  
            DK came back with the airbags just then.  Doc called out, "Can you get us some vitals?"

            "Hang on!"  After a minute she yelled back, "Scooter's pulse is 110 and feels weak while his breathing is 35, rapid and shallow.  He's starting to look a little ashen while he feels cold and clammy.  His pinned leg is starting to go numb which is a good and a bad thing.  He was coherent when I first got here but is starting to get confused and anxious."

            "Damn."  Doc looked up at Lt. Johnson.  "We've got to get him out of there fast, he's going into shock."

            "We can lift the truck with the airbags but we're gonna have to manhandle the bike to get it off him."

            "Do it."

            "DK, get 'em in place."  Logan and Lombardo had joined the group by the truck "Lombardo, Logan, as soon as the truck is up we're gonna get the bike up and out of there."

            "Okay, Boss."  "Gotcha."

            "Magnuson?"  Lt. Johnson called out.

            "Yeah?"

            "We're gonna lift the truck up now and then lift the bike off.  We'll need whatever help you can give us from under there.  Got it?"

            "Loud and clear!"  They heard another thump followed by a mild curse.  A male voice started babbling and when DK and Doc leaned in they could hear Liz talking soothingly to him.  Soon the babbling stopped.  "Lieu, we're ready!"

            "Okay."  Lt. Johnson turned to his men.  "DK, inflate 'em.  Guys, get ready to move."

            Doc and Kim stood by, backboard in hand, waiting for their patient to emerge from his trap.  DK hit the button and the air bags inflated, lifting the truck off the bike. Logan, Lombardo, and Lt. Johnson grabbed the motorcycle to move it and the male underneath started to scream.  As they wrestled with the bike the screams got louder before they suddenly quit.  Finally they were able to lift the bike and Logan rolled it away.  Doc put the back board on the ground and the rest got ready to slide the driver on it.  On Doc's count they slid the driver onto the board, Liz's hands appearing as she held his head and neck in-line. Kim, Lombardo, and DK quickly strapped the male on the board while Doc got his vitals.  On Lt. Johnson's count they lifted the board and put it on the gurney.        

            "Lombardo, I need you to drive," Doc stated as they headed towards the ambulance.  Lt. Johnson waved him on, giving him permission.

            DK and Lt. Johnson turned back to watch Liz crawl out. She shuffled forward on her forearms until her body was clear to below her knees then pushed herself up to a kneeling position.   Her hair had come half undone and she had a streak of dirt down the right side of her face, causing the men to smile at her.  Liz peeled off her gloves, stuffing them in her coat pocket, before extending her hands out for help up.  Each man took a hand and lifted her to her feet.  "You look like a street urchin, Magnuson," stated DK as he reached out to wipe the smudge off her face.

            Liz turned crimson at the attention.  She avoided looking DK in the eye as she reached up to take the clip out of her hair, trying to restore order to her appearance.  "Uh, I better go help my partner.  Thanks guys."  She hurried off in search of Faith.

            DK gave Lt. Johnson a puzzled look.  "Did I do something wrong?"

            Shrugging, Lt. Johnson replied, "Not that I saw. Come on, let's get the equipment put away."

            As Faith and Liz walked into the ER they searched for Doc and Kim.  Lombardo and Jimmy were hanging out by the nurses' station, waiting for the engine crew to come pick them up, so they called out greetings as the officers walked by.  Faith spotted Doc near a treatment room and she nudged Liz with an elbow, indicating the paramedic with the tilt of her head.  "Hey, Doc," Faith said as they approached, "How are the victims from our accident?"

            "They all seem to be doing pretty good.  The elderly couple both suffered concussions but no other real injuries.  Your motorcyclist is in the next cubicle with Kim, look like he needs surgery for his leg but that's his only injury.  The pickup driver will just end up sore."

            "You got the elderly couple's info?"

            "Sure, it's on my clipboard at the desk.  Come on."

            "Faith, I'm gonna check on Scooter," Liz stated as she moved towards the other cubicle.

            "Okay."

            Faith went with Doc to get the information she needed for the accident report.  They chatted for a few minutes before Faith decided to find her partner.  As she neared the cubicle she heard laughter inside.  She entered to find Kim and Liz both smiling at the patient on the bed who appeared to be enjoying the attention.  "Hey, it's another Lady Blue," he slurred.

            "Excuse me?" Faith replied.

            Liz shook her head.  "He means another lady cop.  Officer Yokas, meet Matthew "Scooter" Harris who from now on will be known as "Marshal"."

            Faith grinned when the man gave her a lazy wave.  "Why Marshal?"

            "Because he looks just like Marshal Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke, don't you think?"

            Shrugging, Faith answered, "Sorry, never watched the show."

            "Trust me, he does."  

            Kim started to giggle again causing Faith to give her a puzzled look.  "You got to admit Marshal is much better than Scooter."  At Faith's nod she added, "It's also ironic that an outlaw has the nickname of a law man."

            "An outlaw?" Liz pointed towards the jacket sitting on a chair, its back facing up with an emblem blazoned on the back for the Outlaw biker gang.  Faith finally understood what the two women were laughing about and it brought a smile to her face.  "I see.  You get all his info?"

            "As much as his foggy mind could tell me."  Liz reached out to pat the guy's arm.  "Okay, Marshal, I'll leave my card with your stuff and the number for the impound is on the back to get your bike.  I'll be back to sign your cast."

            "Marshal" grinned a sloppy grin at her.  "See ya', Miss Kitty."  
            Kim started giggling again as she walked out with the two officers.  "I like Marshal much better than Scooter.  How could a big guy like that get a name like Scooter?"

            "Probably just like big guys get name Tiny," Liz replied.  "See you later, Kim."

            "Bye, ladies." She was still giggling as Faith and Liz walked out.

            At the end of shift both women were tired.  It had been a busy shift with lots of paperwork and they were happy to finally be done.  Faith had listened to Liz curse under her breath while trying to draw the diagram of the accident on the accident report while she was working on some shoplifting reports.  Now they both gave a sigh of relief as they walked out into the cool night.

            "Thank God this day is over," Faith replied as she settled her backpack on her shoulder.

            "I second that," stated Liz.  "You need a ride home?"

            "Did you drive your car or your bike?"

            "Car."

            "Okay."

            As they headed towards where Liz had parked her car they heard someone calling their names.  They looked over to see Walsh and DK ambling towards them, smiles on their faces.  Walsh's grin got wider the closer he got to the women.  "Hello, ladies."

            "Hey, Bill, DK.  What's up?" Faith asked.  

            "We were wondering if you two would like to go out for drink."

            Liz and Faith exchanged looks before Liz answered, "Thanks for the offer, guys, but I think we're both going to take a rain check.  It was a busy day."

            "Yeah, tons of paper work," added Faith.

            DK shrugged.  "That's cool, we just thought we'd ask."  

            "It's a nice thought but all I'm looking forward to is falling into bed," stated Liz as a big yawn split her face.  

            Walsh put his arm around her shoulder.  "Maybe tomorrow night?"

            "You got it, handsome," she answered as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

            "Where's your car?"

            Liz motioned to their right.  "Over there."

            "Come on, let's see you off."  They started walking that way with DK and Faith falling in behind.

            "Bad day, huh?" DK asked Faith.

            "Not bad, just busy."

            "Ours was quiet for once."

            "That's a good thing, right?"

            "In a way," he answered with a small smile.  They'd caught up Walsh and Liz who were whispering to each other.

            "Ready to go, Faith?" Liz asked.

            "Anytime you are."

            Smiling at the men, Liz stated, "Gentleman, we shall see you tomorrow.  Thanks for the invite, sorry we couldn't take you up on it."

            DK gave her a small smile.  "You gonna look like a street urchin again?"            

            Liz blushed.  "I think I'll try to look a little cleaner than that.  Good night."

            She and Faith waved at the men as they climbed into the car.  DK and Walsh watched as they drove away before heading to their own vehicles.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	6. Clues, Conflicts, and Crushes

            "You get to the dry cleaners in time?"

            Sully looked up at Liz from the bench in front of his locker.  She was fastening the keepers on her gun belt and her hair still hung down around her face.  "Yeah, just managed to get there with everything else."

            "Guess we need to watch the clock better next time."

            "Yeah."

            "I'll let you get dressed." 

 Liz moved to the mirrors to put her hair up and Sully went back to getting dressed.  As he looked up he saw Davis watching him, a smirk on his face.  Sully glared at him before standing to put on his own gun belt.  He decided to get out of there before Davis gave him the third degree.

It didn't take long after they'd climbed into the squad for the questions to start.  "What were you two doing that you had to watch the clock?"

            Sully didn't answer for a moment, concentrating on traffic.  Finally he said, "It's not what you think."

            "Oh?  Then what is it?"

            "We had lunch together."

            "Reeeeaaaallyyy? Very interesting.  She call you?"

            "No, I called her."  Sully smiled at the look of shock on Ty's face. "What?"

            "You called her?  What happened to taking it slow?"

            Sully shook his head.  "You really do have a one track mind, don't you?  We're just friends, Davis.  I was out running errands and decided I wanted company for lunch so I called her.  She was free so she joined me."

            "What were you two talking about that you lost track of time?"

            Turning the corner, Sully remained silent until Ty thought he wasn't going to answer.  Just when Ty was going to prod him again Sully replied, "Not that it's really any of your business, we talked about a lot of things, mostly about our marriages."

            This dumbfounded Ty.  "You talked to her about Tatiana?"

            "A little but more about marriage in general."

            Before Ty could ask anything more they were interrupted by the radio.  *55-Charlie, 55-David*

            Ty keyed his lapel mike.  "55-Charlie."

            They heard Faith reply, "55-David."

            *Structure fire, 175th and Amsterdam.  Structure fire, 175th and Amsterdam*

            "10-4."

            They heard Faith answer before Central gave the time.  Ty reached to flip on the lights and siren as Sully grumbled, "It's gonna be one of those days."

            The structure on fire turned out to be a three story apartment building. 55-David was on scene first and Ty and Sully saw Faith talking to a woman out on the sidewalk in front of the structure.  They hurried over to her.      

            "What have we got, Faith?"

            "This lady says most of the tenants are out and the fire started on the second floor.  There are one apartment with an elderly lady on the first floor and a third floor apartment with a single mom and two kids that she's unsure if they got out."

            Sully looked around as they could hear the sirens of the fire crews approaching.  "Where's Liz?"  

            "She went in to see if she could check the first floor apartment."

            Ty and Faith were both surprised when Sully took off, heading in the front door where black smoke was rolling out.  "Sully!" Ty yelled but his partner didn't even pause.  He turned back to Faith.  "Let's gather all the residents together to try to get a head count."

            Inside the building Sully could barely see two feet in front of him.  He pulled out his flashlight as he called, "Magnuson!  Can you hear me?"

            He was startled when he heard her holler from about ten feet in front of him, "Sully, I'm here!  Help me with this old lady."

            He moved forward and found Liz struggling to walk a very ancient looking woman down the hall.  Sully picked the lady up in his arms and found she was heavier than she looked.  "Steer us out of here."

            Liz took his flashlight from him then grabbed his flashlight loop on his belt to keep them from being separated.  She pulled him around obstacles, calling out directions as they went.  After what felt like an eternity they found themselves back at the front doors.  As they exited a group of firefighters rushed past them, dragging hose with them.  The fresh air made Sully and Liz both start to cough  as they brought their elderly victim over to Kim and Doc.  Sully laid her gently down on the gurney then stepped back out of the way.  He looked over at Liz.  "You okay?" he asked between coughs.

            "I'm fine, thanks for the help."

            Doc scowled at them both.  "You both should take some oxygen."

            Liz just waved him off before walking over to Faith who was talking to some more of the tenants.  "Anyone else still inside?"

            "We think there's still a mom with two kids in an apartment on the third floor.  We haven't found them outside and someone else had seen them upstairs about half an hour before this started."

            Sully had joined them and heard Faith's response.  "I  take it fire knows?"

            "I told the lieutenant the minute they arrived."

            They watched the fire crew work.  About ten minutes later two fire fighters came out carrying two children.  They hurriedly passed them off to the other paramedics on scene before heading back in.  A little later a different firefighter came out carrying a female but he by-passed the paramedics, yelling for someone to get a stokes and a tarp.  As he laid the female down in the stokes the officers could see she was badly burned on one side of her body. When they started covering her up, Liz turned back towards the building and saw the look on Sully's face.  He looked on in horror at the tarp covered body but his eyes were distant, as if he weren't truly seeing what was in front of him.  Liz gently tugged on his arm.  "Come on, John," she stated gently.  As they passed Faith she whispered out of the side of her mouth, "Find Davis."

            Liz steered Sully back over to his own squad, pushing him down to sit on the push bumper.  Sully shook himself as if to clear away what ever had been clinging to him then looked up at her.  "I'm okay."

            "I know but you and I could both stand to be farther away from the smoke."

            Ty came rushing over, a concerned look on his face.  "What's wrong?"

            "We just needed some fresher air.  I'll be right back." Liz gave him a look that said "Don't leave his side" as she walked away.  She soon returned with a bottle of water.  She took a hit off it then extended it to Sully.  "Here, John, drink this."

            Sully protested but Liz ignored him, pressing the bottle into his hand.  He finally took a drink and actually felt better.  He finished off the bottle then gave her a sheepish look.  "Sorry, I didn't mean to drink it all."       

            "That's okay, I wanted you to drink the rest.  I'm gonna go find Faith.  You stay here."

            "Yes, ma'am."

            Liz gave him a smile before walking away again in search of her partner.

            An hour later they were all able to clear the scene.  Sully and Liz both wanted to change uniforms since they smelled of smoke so both units headed back to the house.  Faith and Ty went to write the fire report while their partners changed.            Though he still looked a bit shaken, Sully insisted he was fine.  After they'd changed, Sully and Liz were talking quietly by the stairwell, waiting for their partners, when Detective Madjanski came around the corner.  It was obvious he was looking for someone and when his gaze settled on Sullivan he had found his prey.  "Sullivan."

            Scowling, Sullivan replied, "Great, my day from hell just got worse.  What do you want?"

            "I've got a question for you about a collar you made last week."  Detective Madjanski had walked over to stand beside the male officer, still not paying attention to the other officer standing there.  

            Sully saw Liz duck her head, as if avoiding looking at the detective.  "John, I'll talk to you later."

            Madjanski finally registered Liz was there when she spoke.  He turned to her, a stunned look on his face.  "What are you doing here?" 

            "I work here." 

            When Liz started to move away Madjanski reached out to stop her, grabbing her upper arm.  "Wait! Where are you going?"

            Liz finally looked up, glancing over Madjanski's shoulder at Sully before meeting the detective's questioning gaze.  Sully swore he saw something pass between the two before Liz growled, "To find my partner. Let go of me,  **you don't know me**."

            With that, she jerked her arm from Madjanski's grasp and walked away.  Sully shoved past Madjanski to follow her, giving the detective a withering look as he said, "You have a way of pissing people off, don't you?"

            Madjanski opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself.  He seemed to forget he wanted to talk to Sully as the big officer walked away, trailing his coworker.  The detective looked at the floor, not moving for a moment before he seemed to shake off whatever was bothering him.  He headed up the stairs without glancing back.

            Sully caught up to Liz outside of the locker room, grabbing her arm to stop her before she went in.  His face registered his surprise when he could feel she was shaking.  "What was that all about?"

            "Nothing, let me go."  Liz finally looked up at Sully, her eyes pleading. "Please."

            He gently released her arm, a dubious look on his face.  Liz gave him a trembling smile before slipping inside, leaving him staring at the door.  It was only when he heard his partner call out to him that he walked away from his post.

            Faith had gone to get a soda when she ran into Bosco.  He had just finished raiding the vending machines and appeared to be heading back upstairs but he stopped when he spotted Faith.  He gave her a small smile in greeting.  "Hey, Faith."

            "Bosco."  Faith moved around him to buy a soda. When she straightened up she found he was still watching her.  "Did you need something?"

            "How's it going with your new partner?"

            "Fine. Why?"

            Shrugging, Bosco replied, "Just wondering."

            Faith opened her soda slowly before asking, "How's Anti-crime?"

            "Fine."

            They stood in an awkward silence for a moment, looking at each other.  Faith broke the silence first by saying, "I gotta go find my partner."

            Bosco nodded.  "Yeah, I gotta get back upstairs."  

            They looked at each other again before going in opposite directions, neither one stopping to look back. 

            Sully could feel Ty watching him as he drove.  He looked over at his partner, a perturbed look on his face.  "What is it now?"

            "You sure you're okay?"

            "Yeah, I'm fine."

            They fell silent again.  After a while Ty cleared his throat.  "You gonna go out with us tonight?"

            "I don't know.  Where are you going and who's gonna be there?"

            "We're just gonna go to Haggerty's, us and the fire crew."

            "I think I may just go home and go to bed."

            Ty shrugged. "Suit yourself but I think Liz would want you to go."

            "I'll think about it."

            Grinning to himself, Ty turned to look out the window.

            Faith was wrapped up in her own thoughts so she wasn't paying attention to how quiet her partner was.  Liz was driving again and stared intently at the road, not looking at Faith. When the progression of her thoughts came back to what Sully had told her just before they left the station, Faith asked her partner, "Liz, you okay?"

            "I'm fine, why?"

            "Sully told me you had a run in with one of the detectives."

            "I wouldn't call it a run in."

            "What would you call it?"

            "A case of mistaken identity." Silence settled back into the car.  A couple of blocks later Liz spoke again.  "I saw Bosco coming from the vending area while I was talking to Swersky right before you came up.  You two talk?"

            "I wouldn't call it talking."

            "Oh?"

            "More like just looking at each other."

            "How did it make you feel?"

            Faith stared out the windshield for a moment before stating quietly, "Sad."

            Switching subjects, Liz asked, "You still gonna go out tonight with me, Walsh, and DK?"

            Faith shrugged.  "I don't know.  Maybe."

            "I think it would be good for you to go."  
            "I'll let you know."

            "Okay, that's all I ask."

            Faith and Liz were the last ones to arrive at Haggarty's later due to a late arrest.  They found Sully talking to Doc while Walsh, DK, Ty, Alex, and Jimmy were already playing darts.  Faith sat down beside Doc as Liz wrapped her arm around Sully's shoulders.  "Glad you decided to come."

            "Yeah, Davis talked me into it.  We were beginning to believe two weren't gonna show."

            Before Liz could reply two arms wrapped around her from behind.  "Where have you been, Red?" Walsh called out, kissing her on the cheek.

            For once Liz seemed to be at a loss for words so her partner came to the rescue.  "We had a late call and paper work to do," Faith answered.

            "Well, we need one more for darts, come on!"  Walsh picked Liz up and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her away before she could protest.  Those left at the table laughed at the sight before continuing their conversation.

            "Was that your shoplifter?" Sully asked Faith as he motioned for the bar maid to come over.

            "Yeah, a fifteen year old stole a forty from a liquor store.  You should have heard the lecture Liz gave him, he was in tears before his parents came to get him."

            "She's probably had a lot of practice doing it over the years and learned from one of the best in the business."

            "Who's that?" Doc asked.

            "Lt. Swersky, he was her first partner and the king of lecturers."

            "That he is and I know we've both been on the receiving end  a few times," added Faith.

            "Haven't we all been on the receiving end one time or another?" stated Doc, causing his companions to smile.

            Sully raised his glass of soda.  "Here's to getting our asses chewed by the best!"

            Doc and Faith raised their glasses too.

Davis was surprised when Liz plopped down in the chair beside him because he thought she was playing darts in the other room with Walsh, DK, and Alex.  "Penny for your thoughts," she said as she took a sip from her glass.

            "Not worth much nowadays, don't you figure in inflation?"

            "Okay, how 'bout a nickel?"

            "Better."  Ty raised an eyebrow at her.  "I thought you and Alex where kicking the guys' butts in darts."

            "We were and we did."

            "Ouch, that can't be good for their egos since they haven't beaten you yet."

            "They'll get over it.  You still haven't told me what you were thinking about though I guess it has something to do with Sully."

            "Why do you say that?"

            Liz nodded to where Davis' partner was sitting at the bar talking to Doc and Faith.  "Because you've been watching him like a hawk all night."

            "Is it that obvious?" Davis glanced at Sully before turning his attention back to the woman beside him.

            "Naw, I'm just an observant person."

            "And a good listener from what I hear."

            Liz blushed but then grinned at him.  "I try and you're stalling."

            Ty shrugged.  "Guess I still worry about him."

            "That's understandable."  Liz put her hand on his arm, giving it a gently squeeze.  "Look, I won't pry but I want you to know you're not alone in all this."

            "I'm not?"

            "No, and you know it.  But I'm not suggesting you talk to me about it, there's someone else in your department you've known longer than me who you could talk to."

            "Really?  Who?"

            "Swersky."

            Shaking his head, Ty answered, "Lieu?  I don't think I'd be comfortable doing that."

            "If you tell Mike you want to talk off the record he'll keep it that way, I've never known anyone who keeps his word like he does.  He's a good man and understands more than you think."

            "I don't know, I still don't think I could talk to him."

            It was Liz's turn to shrug.  "It's just a suggestion but he's been in your shoes before so he could give you some support."

            Before Ty could answer DK sat down next to Liz while he heard his name being hollered across the bar.  He could see Alex and Jimmy waving him over.  Ty looked at DK.  "What do they want?"

            "Someone else to play darts with them since Liz and I both dropped out," DK answered before he took a sip of his beer.

            "Oh." Ty stood before looking back at Liz,  "Excuse me but the bucket crew awaits me."

            "By all means, go kick some butt."

            "Will do."

            Liz and DK watched him walk away.  When DK turned to speak to her, he realized Liz had been watching him.  "What?  I got dirt on my face or something?"

            "Naw," Liz answered with a grin, "I was just wondering why you never asked her out?"

            "Who?"

            "Alex."

            DK looked decidedly uncomfortable.  "Why do you think I would?"

            Liz laid her hand on DK's arm that rested on the table between them.  "Don't worry, it's not obvious.  I've just learned to read people over the years, one of the habits of the job."

            Trying to shrug nonchalantly and failing, DK sighed.  "Guess I was too worried about ruining a good friendship."  He took another sip of his beer then grinned.  "That and I didn't want to expose us to the damn gossip at the station."

            "They have that in the fire department too, huh?"  When DK looked at her he could tell that Liz was teasing.  "I know they do, I've been the subject of it a few times in both the fire department and the PD."           

            "Oh yeah?"

            "Yeah.  When Billy and I worked down on Pitt Street there were a couple of rumors going around about us."

            DK sat back in his chair.  "Really?  How come?"

            Shrugging, Liz said, " I'm sure there were lots of reasons in their minds.  I just learned to ignore it."

            "Well, my station is quite the soap opera and I just didn't want to add Taylor and me to the storyline."

            Liz chuckled.  "Billy's filled me in on some of the things that's gone on at your station."

            "Like what?"

            "Mostly Doherty's sagas and all the go arounds with Kim."

            "Those two are pieces of work."

            "At least they keep you entertained."

            DK laughed.  "That they do."  DK set his beer down on the table, spinning it with his fingers.  "You and Davis looked like you were having a pretty serious discussion when I walked over.  Sorry if I interrupted."

            "That's okay, we were pretty much done."

            "Are you sure?" The skeptical look on his face harmonized with the tone of his voice.  

            "Yeah, I got my point across."  Liz winked at him causing DK to laugh again.  Doc, Sully, and Faith came back to the table to join them.  Sully motioned to Liz's pop and DK's beer.  

            "You guys want another round?"

            DK shrugged.  "Sure."

            Liz shook her head.  "Naw, I'm good for now."

            Sully motioned for the waitress to bring another round for the table.  Doc leaned back in chair as he asked Liz,  "How do like working in the 55th precinct?"

            "So far it's been a very positive experience," she replied, smiling at her partner.  Faith smiled back but didn't say anything.

            "Even dealing with Christopher?" Sully asked smoothly, trying to hide a smile.

            Liz gave him a sideways glance.  "Don't even go there, Papa Bear."

            "Papa Bear?" echoed Doc, looking highly amused at the sour look on Sully's face.

            Sully pointed at him.  "Don't even think it, Doc, or I'll start calling you Gramps."

            Doc put his hands up in surrender.  "Okay, okay.  I know better than to risk getting parking tickets for the rest of my career."

            "Smart man."

            "He can be at times," added DK. The howl of laughter from the group could be hear throughout the whole bar as they continued to hurl barbs at each other. 

            Alex was looking at the selections on the jukebox when she heard a female ask,  "Anything good on there?"

            She turned to see Liz standing there, drinks in hand.  Liz extended the beer to her and kept what looked like a soda.  Alex took the beer with a small smile.  "Naw, same old.  Thanks."           

            Liz acknowledged the thanks with a nod as she leaned against the jukebox.  After looking things over for herself she smiled too.  "You're right, not a lot to chose from.  You guys give up on darts?"

            "The boys got tired of me beating them, with a little help from you of course."

            "They just can't handle losing, can they?" They shared a smile of knowing before Alex motioned for Liz to follow her to a booth.  They slid in, remaining quiet for a moment.  Finally Liz spoke again.  "Is there something you want to know, Alex?"

            "I, uh, no.  That is," Alex stammered for minute, for once not sure what to say.  If it had been one of the guys she was talking to it would have been a lot easier but she wasn't as good talking to women, except Kim.  Finally she just blurt out, "Liz, what made you become a cop?

            Liz looked puzzled.  "Why?"

            "I'm trying to figure out how you survive being a female in this environment."

            "You having problems?"  
            "No."  Alex played with her beer.  "It's just I look at your personality and you just don't quite fit what I expect of a female cop."

            "How so?"  
            "Well, nothing against Faith, but you seem too nice to be a cop.  You don't yell that I've seen, you don't have an attitude like a lot of the women cops I've met." Alex smiled, "You don't mind directing traffic at fire scenes."

            "Why should I?  I get to watch all those sooty guys in turnouts and get paid for it."

            Alex  was surprised by her answer but returned Liz's grin. She now realized Liz had a naughty sense of humor she'd never displayed. "I've also noticed that the bigger the group the quieter you get.  Most cops fight to be the center of attention, look at Bosco."

            Liz turned serious.  "Well, I've never hung out with Bosco so I can't agree or disagree with you.  As for being the center of attention, I've never been comfortable being there.  I've found the quieter you the more you learn about people, sometimes they forget you're there."

            "I can't imagine anyone forgetting you're around."  
            "Thanks, but I know they can. But you, on the other hand, are very hard to forget."

            "Moí?" Alex splayed a hand across her chest.  

            "Yeah, you."  Liz smiled again.  "You're not afraid to state your mind and you'll defend your point of view to very end."

            "Is that a complement?"

            "Yeah, it is.  Sometimes I wish I was as fearless as you, maybe a few things in my life would be different."

            "Like what?"  
            Liz just shook her head.  "Too many things to go into."  She gave Alex a measuring look.  "I heard you had it rough when you came over to the squad."

            Alex stiffened slightly. "Yeah, it wasn't easy."

            "Looks like they accept you now."  
            "Took a little time but they do."  Alex frowned at her.  "Who have you been talking to about me?"

            "Don't worry, it wasn't just about you."  A large smile crossed Liz's face.  "Walsh has been filling me in on his life for the last few years and you've become a big part of that.  I'd also heard of you before that due to your law suit."  
            "That made me a bit notorious."  Alex now looked decidedly uncomfortable. 

            "You did what you had to do." Liz reached across the table to place her hand on Alex's arm. "You did the right thing no matter what the others say."

            Alex was astonished.  "You think so?"

            "Yeah.  I've been in your shoes when it comes to that, Alex.  Maybe some day I'll tell you about it."  Liz slid out of the booth, smiling again.  "But now's not the time for that.  Come on, let's go challenge the guys at something."

            "Any certain guys?" Alex asked as she stood.

            Liz stopped short, this time she gave Alex a puzzled look.  "Whadda you mean?"

            "Don't play dumb with me, Officer Magnuson.  You getting a soft spot for any one in specific?"

"Why do you ask?"  
           Alex grinned.  "Because I think a certain firefighter is developing one for you, and I don't mean Walsh."

            Liz looked down in embarrassment but replied,  "I wouldn't be adverse to the idea."

            "Figures you wouldn't give me a straight answer."  Alex grabbed her beer with one hand and Liz's arm with the other. "Come on lady, the games await."

            Liz let Alex drag here into the other room, laughing.

            Around 1:30 AM Faith started yawning.  "Sorry, guys, but I'm gonna call it a night."

            Liz stood.  "Me too though this has been a lot of fun."

            The women were surprised when Walsh and DK stood too.  "We'll walk you out," Walsh stated.  

They said their good nights with Liz giving Sully a hug from behind.  He smiled and patted her arms before glaring at Ty and the look on his partner's face.  Liz was surprised when DK grabbed her arm and tucked it into his while Walsh did the same with Faith.  They were all laughing and chatting as they went out the door.

When they reached Liz's car Walsh said, "Thanks for coming tonight."

            "After the day we had it was nice," replied Faith, a small smile on her face.

            "Yes, it was," agreed Liz as she extracted her arm from DK's to point at Walsh.  "So help me if you ever pick me up like that again," she scolded but her smile tempered her words.

            "You've been threatening me with that for 12 years so I'm not worried."  He reached out to hug her.  "Drive safe."

            "I will."  She turned to DK.  "Thanks for the conversation."

            He smiled at her.  "Anytime.  See ya' tomorrow?"

            "You bet."  
            The men called out their goodbyes as they head back to the bar while Liz and Faith climbed into the car.   As Liz pulled away from the curb Faith commented, "I think he likes you."

            "Who?"

            "What do you mean, who?  DK."  In the dim interior Faith could see Liz was blushing.  "You like him too, don't you?"

            "He's very nice."

            "Nice?  Would you go out with him if he asked?"

            "I don't know."

            "Why not?"

            "Because it's been fifteen years since I went on a date."  
            Faith's mouth dropped open.  "You haven't dated since you got divorced?"

            "No."

            "Why not?"

            "Haven't found anyone I was interested in."  Lowly she added, "And I've been too scared."

            Faith shook her head.  "You, scared?  You don't strike me as someone who gets scared easily."

            Liz shrugged.  "Some things scare the hell out of me."

            They were quiet the rest of the way to Faith's street.  When Liz pulled over to drop her off, Faith stated, "You should really think about dating again if DK asks you. He's a good guy."

            "I'll keep it in mind."

            Faith just rolled her eyes.  "See you tomorrow."

            "Good night, Faith."  
            Liz watched Faith until she made it safely in the building before pulling away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	7. Nerves and a Big Sandwich

            Sully smiled when he saw Davis flinch because he had slammed his locker shut.  "Problems, Davis?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

            Davis started to shake his head but stopped.  "No."

            Putting her hair up as she walked by, Faith looked from Sully to Davis.  "You look a little green around the gills, Davis.  What time did you guys leave last night?"

            Davis gave her a blank look which made Sully chuckle.  "We left around 3:00 AM.  I had to pour princess there into bed," the older officer replied, still smiling.

            "What were you drinking, Ty?  You look like hell," stated Liz as she walked over to the sinks.

            "Boilermakers," answered Sully,            

            "No wonder you look rough," added  Faith.

            "Does him in every time."

            Liz frowned. "Sounds like you better give them up, Ty."

            "I tell myself that every time but still I drink them."

            "You taken any pain relievers?" Faith asked.  

            "Yeah, as many as I can.   They  should kick in soon."

            "I hope they do, for both your sakes," stated Liz as she walked out the door. 

            "Come on, Davis, the sooner we start the sooner the night will be over."

            "God, I hope so," groaned Ty as he pushed up from the bench.  Faith and Sully grinned at each other behind him as they all headed to roll call.

            Lt. Johnson had assigned housekeeping duties and since it was Walsh's turn to drive he was in charge of cleaning the cab of the engine.  The lieutenant had assigned DK to help him and they were washing the inside of the windshield when DK decided to bring up a subject he wanted to talk to Walsh about.  "Billy?"

            "Yeah?"  
            "How close are you and Liz?"

            Walsh stopped rubbing to look at DK.  "We used to be really close. Why?"

            Continuing to rub the window DK tried to sound nonchalant as he said, "I'd like to ask her out if it wouldn't upset you."

            Grinning, Walsh slapped him on the shoulder.  "Hell no, it wouldn't upset me at all.  That would be great!"

            DK felt himself relax.  "Do you think she'd say yes?"

            Walsh was silent for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face.  "I'll be honest, I'm not sure."  At DK's worried look he went on, "It's not because she doesn't like you,  I can tell she does.  She still a bit skittish on the whole dating idea, she hasn't been on a date in fifteen years."

            "Really?  She hasn't dated anyone since her divorce?"

            "No, she said she hasn't found anyone she's been interested in enough to try it."

            "Think she'd be interested enough in me to try?"

            Walsh shrugged.  "You won't know until you try.  I wish I could be more encouraging but that's one area I can't predict with her.  I do know she's worth trying though."

            "Oh yeah?"

            He tried not to but Walsh blushed anyway.  "Not in the way you might be thinking.  She's a great friend with a generous personality and a wonderful sense of humor once she gets to know you.  To top it off she's a great cook.  What more could you ask for?"

            "You don't have to sell me on her, I'm already interested, brother."

            Walsh just grinned as he went back to wiping the window.           

            "Looks like it's a roller," Liz stated as she parked the rmp.  

            Faith nodded in agreement as she started to get out if the car. She was amused by the grin on her partner's face and the red head's eagerness to help with traffic, it was such a switch from being with Bosco.  Even Lt. Johnson had commented on that fact to Faith the day of the traffic accident they had worked together.  "You wanna grab cones or should I?"

            Liz motioned to the trunk with a hand.  "Why don't you and I'll start directing traffic to get the congestion out of here."  With that she trotted off towards the intersection where the cars were honking.

            Watching her go, Faith was still thinking about the differences between her partners as she went to get the traffic cones. If she'd given Bosco the option he'd have taken the easier route of getting cones and gripe the whole time. She'd said something to Liz about it after Lt. Johnson's comment and had to laugh when Liz gave her a wicked grin and stated, "Who wouldn't love working traffic where they could watch men in turn out gear!"  Faith found herself smiling as she put the cones out.

            They had finished the overhaul and were gather up the gear when Walsh nudged DK.  "Give me the K12 to put away and go find Liz."

            "Is she still here?"

            "Yeah, I just saw her head towards her squad with some traffic cones in her hands."

            "Should I ask her now?"

            Walsh smiled.  "No time like the present.  Do you think you'll find a better opportunity?"

            "No."

            "Then get going!"  Walsh took the equipment from DK's hands and gave him a little shove.  DK trotted off, searching for the officer they'd just been discussing.  He found her putting traffic cones away in the trunk of her car and DK's luck was good because Faith was no where in sight.

            Liz smiled at him when she saw him walk up.  "Hey, DK.  How's it going?"

            "Fine now that most of the work is done."

            "Cleanup always sucks."

            "Yeah."  He helped her stack the cones before deciding to broach the subject he had come over there for.  "Can I ask you something?"  
            "Of course you can.  What's on your mind?"

            He waited for her to look up at him from her organizing before asking, "Liz, would you go out to dinner with me?"  
            Liz froze for a second and DK saw a swirl of emotions cross her face before she blushed, her face turning almost as red as her hair. "You mean go out on a date?" she asked quietly.

            "Yes, a date."

            Just when he thought she wasn't going to say anything Liz smiled.  "Yes, I would like to go out to dinner with you, Derek."

            "You would?"

            "Yes, I would."

            DK grinned.  "Great! When are your next days off?"

            "I'm off Thursday and Friday."  
            Thinking for a minute, DK stated, "I'm off Thursday also.  Could you go then?"  
            "Sure."

            "Say about 6:00 PM?"  
            "Okay."  Liz reached in her pocket and pulled out a business card, shutting the trunk so she could write on the lid.  She handed him the card.  "That's my address, home phone number, and cell phone number on the back.  Call me if something comes up and you can't make it."

            "Believe me, nothing will.  Do you have a piece of paper and can I borrow your pen?" Liz pulled her notebook out of her pocket and handed it to him along with her pen.  He quickly wrote his address and phone numbers down before handing both items back.  "Here's my address and phone  numbers so you can call me if something comes up. I know you're subject to call in more than I am."

            Liz shook her head.  "I won't answer my phone that day," she stated, her grin turning impish.

            Just then they heard the air horn blast on the fire engine.  "That's my cue to get a move on. See you Thursday."

            "See you then."

            DK was grinning from ear to ear as he ran towards the engine.  As he swung up in the cab Walsh called out, "Well?"  
            "She said yes."

            "Alright!"  When they passed Liz's squad Walsh hit the air horn, causing Liz and Faith to jump before they waved in return, Faith having rejoined her partner as DK was trotting off.

            As the engine pulled away Faith turned to her partner.  "What was that all about?"

            Liz didn't answer right away, instead asking, "Can you drive for a while?"

            "Sure."

            It wasn't until Faith was pulling away from the curb that Liz said, "DK asked me out."

            Faith shot her a surprised look.  "He did?  And what did you say?"

            "Yes."

            "Good."  When Liz looked at her Faith grinned.  "I told you he liked you."

            "Guess you were right."            

            Faith could see Liz was nervous about the prospect of dating.  "I was and I know it'll go great. Don't worry."

            "Easy for you to say, you're married."

            "I'm still right."  Silence settled into the squad but both women were smiling.

            DK had endured some good natured ribbing all the way back to the station but his smile hadn't dimmed any.  After they'd stowed their gear away and everyone started trooping upstairs to get cleaned up, Walsh pulled him aside. "How did Liz react when you asked her?"

            DK shrugged.  "Well, she didn't answer right away and seemed a bit embarrassed but she finally just said yes."

            "Good."  Walsh became serious.  "DK, I want you to promise me something."       

            "What's that?"

            "Be patient with Liz. Believe me, it'll be worth it."

            "Okay."  DK looked a bit puzzled but he didn't question Walsh.  "Come on, let's go clean up."

            They headed towards the showers.

            Sully found Liz sitting in front of her locker after Faith and Ty had left for the night.  "Hey, aren't you Faith's ride tonight?"  
            Liz shook her head but didn't look up at him as she replied, "I'm hanging around to give Mike a ride."

            Sensing something was wrong, Sully sat down beside her.  "What's going on?"

            Finally looking at him, Liz gave him a puzzled look.  "Why?"

            "You've obviously got something on your mind."  
            "DK asked me out."

            "Oh."  Sully frowned.  "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

            "Yes, no-" Liz flung up her hands.  "I don't know!"  
            Watching her, it dawned on Sully what the real problem was.  "You're scared, aren't you?"  Liz nodded and Sully reached over to take her hand.  "I realize it's been a long time since you've dated but it's gonna be fine, you'll see.  You like him, right?"  
            "Yes."  
            "And you two can talk to each other easily enough, I've seen that myself."  
            "He's very easy to talk to."

            "Well, then just think of it as another night out at Haggarty's if that will help you relax."  He gave her hand a squeeze.  "You said that day at lunch you wanted to start moving forward with your life, here's one way to start.  I can't think of a nicer guy for you to start with either."

            "He's right you know." Liz and Sully whipped their heads around to find Lt. Swersky standing behind them, having come in to the locker room without them knowing it.  The lieutenant smiled.  "You do have to move on and there's no time better."

            Lt. Swersky sat down on the other side of Liz, taking her other hand in his as Sully stated, "You should listen to us old timers, we know what we're talking about."

            "At least you think you do," retorted Liz, smiling.

            "Hey now, none of that!" cautioned Lt. Swersky but he was grinning.  "I don't know this DK fellow very well but I know Lt. Johnson thinks very highly of him which makes him okay in my book."

            "Alright, alright!" cried Liz, blushing again.  "I give!  I realize I'm being foolish, just bear with me, okay?"  
            "I have all these years so why should I stop now?"  Swersky quipped.

            Liz swatted him on the arm.  "Thanks, guys.  Michael, hurry up and change or your taxi will leave without you."

            "Fat chance of that happening," Swersky stated as he moved towards his locker.

            "You gonna be okay?"  Sully asked.

            "Sure.  Thanks."  
            "Anytime."  Sully patted her leg before getting up.  As he left the locker room he could hear Liz and Lt. Swersky exchanging barbs like an old married couple, causing him to smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Two days later Faith asked her partner, "You're getting nervous again, aren't you?"

            Liz looked over at her partner who was driving.  "Why?"

            "Because you're getting quiet on me again."

            "Sorry."  Just then Liz's cell phone rang. When she looked at the number displayed she frowned.  "I wonder who this is?" She hit the answer button.  "Hello?"  
            Faith saw her partner smile as she said, "Yeah, it's good to hear from you."  "No, I'm at work."  "No, I'm in the squad."  "Of course not, Faith's driving." "What?  Do you think I'm steering with my knees?"  "Hold on."

            Liz held the phone out towards Faith.  "Faith, holler hello to Billy."  
            Amused, Faith called out, "Hi, Bill."  
            Putting the phone back to her ear, Liz said, "There, believe me now?"  "You are impossible.  What do you want?"  "No, I won't back out."  "Promise." "I've already heard that lecture from Sully and Swersky."  "Yeah, sitting on a bench in the locker room the other night.  I felt like I was the corned beef between two big pieces of white guy bread making a happy family sandwich."

            Faith found herself giggling at the image in her head at Liz's words.  Liz had told her the day before about the conversation  with the two men and Faith had echoed their sentiments.  Her partner had just rolled her eyes, just like she was doing as she talked to Walsh.  "Look, I gotta get back to work.  I promise to let you know how it goes though I'm sure DK will tell you before I do."  "Okay, talk to you later."  "Bye."

            Liz hung up and started to giggle herself.  "I think he's almost as nervous as I am."

            "Why?"

            "Because two of his good friends are going out together and he wants it to go well."

            "That's understandable."

            Liz's phone rang again, making her jump.  Again she frowned at an unfamiliar number.  "Hello?"

            Faith had a good idea who was calling because the tone of Liz's voice changed.  "Hi."  "No, out in the squad."  "Yeah, she's here."  

            Liz extended the phone towards Faith again.  "Say hi to DK."

            "Hello, DK!"

            Both women were chuckling as Liz put the phone back to her ear.  "No, Billy called right before you did and we went through the same routine."  "Yes, we're still on.  I'm looking forward to it."  "No, it's been relatively quiet." "I will, you too."  "Bye." Liz was smiling as she hung up.

            "You've become mighty popular," teased Faith as they pulled up to where they were going to eat.

            "Please, I can't take anymore teasing right now."

            "Alright, no teasing until we're done eating."  

            Liz just shook her head as they got out of the car.


	8. Phone calls and Surprises

            Sully was just coming  in the door when the phone rang. He set his bag of groceries down and grabbed the phone just before the machine picked it up.  "Hello," he growled.    

            "John, I need a pep talk."

            Sighing, Sully sat down on the couch.  "Getting nervous again, Liz?"

            "Yeah."

            "And you want a pep talk from **me**?" he asked incredulously.

            "It doesn't have to be a big speech, just talk to me until my pulse rate goes down."

            "Why are you making this so hard on yourself?"

            He heard her sigh on the other end.  "John, put yourself in my place.  How would you feel if you were going out on a date, a real date, for the first time since Tatiana died?"

            Sully was silent for a moment as he mulled over the question.  "Okay, I'd be very nervous," he finally replied.  "But think of it as another night at Haggarty's and that put you more at ease."

            "I'm going to try.  So, what are you up to tonight?"

            Glancing at the grocery bag in front of him on the coffee table, Sully answered, "Believe it or not, I'm going to cook."

            "Oh? What's on the menu?"

            "Beef stroganoff, bruschetta, and rice pudding for dessert."

            "Sounds delicious, maybe you'll make it for me sometime."

            "Maybe I will."  
            He heard the phone beeping on her end.  "That's my call waiting so I'm going to let you go.  Bon appetite!"

            "Thanks.  Relax, tonight'll go just fine."

            "I hope so.  Bye, John."  
            "Bye, Liz."

            Faith was just going to hang up when her partner finally answered the phone.  "Hello?"

            "Hi, Liz, it's Faith.  I was beginning to think you weren't home."  
            "Sorry, I was just saying good bye to Sully first.  I was talking to him on the other line."

            Tucking her hair behind an ear, Faith switched the phone to the other side as she stirred the hamburger she was frying.  "I didn't mean to interrupt," she stated.  
            "It's okay, we were done. I just called him for a pep talk."

            "You called **Sully** for a pep talk?"

            "Actually, just to talk for a few minutes to calm my nerves."

            Fred came in to see how dinner preparations were going as Faith said, "You're getting nervous again, aren't you?"

            "The nerves come and go.  Right now I'm just waiting to get dressed and have time on my hands so they had the perfect opportunity to attack."  
            Faith found herself smiling because she could hear the nervousness in her partner's voice.  "Everything will be fine, trust me.  He's a nice guy."

            "Yes, he is but I know I'm going to screw up somehow."

            "Why?"

            "I always do when I've got something good happening in my life."

            Faith slapped Fred's hand away when he tried to steal some cheese as she replied, "Maybe it's time you change that."

            "Easier said than done but I'll try."

            "Good.  How long until he gets there?"

            "Half an hour."  
            "Okay, I'll let you go.  Call me tomorrow and tell me how it went."  
            "Yes, ma'am."  

            Faith laughed at the tone of Liz's voice.  "Bye."

            "Bye, partner."

            As she hung up the phone, Fred asked, "Who was that?"

            "Liz.  I called her to see how nervous she was."

            "Nervous about what?"

            "She's got a date tonight."  
            "Really?" Fred helped Faith pull a couple of bowls out of the cupboard.  "With who?"

            "One of the firefighters from the fire hall across from the station."

            "That Walsh guy you've mentioned?"

            Faith shook her head as she put lettuce in a bowl.  "No, he's married and he's an old friend of Liz's.  She's got a date with DK."  
            "Have I ever met him?"

            "No."

            "He a decent guy?"

            "Yeah."  Pausing while putting cheese in another bowl, Faith frowned at Fred.  "What's with all the questions?"

            Shrugging, Fred grabbed the bowls she's already filled.  "I like Liz, guess I'm just curious," he stated as he carried the bowls over to the table.

            Faith decided to not to question Fred anymore, afraid the conversation might turn back to comparing Liz and Bosco as it had in the past.  She went back to finishing up dinner.

            DK parked his car before checking to make sure he had the right address.  After a quick confirmation he hopped out, glancing around at the neighborhood as he headed to the steps.  He stopped at the bottom to check out the flower boxes filled with early spring flowers, smiling because he liked how cheerful everything looked.  Finally he sauntered up the stairs to press the doorbell.  While waiting for Liz to answer he suddenly started to feel a little nervous, just like he had the day before when he asked her out.  As the door began to open he hoped his nervousness didn't show on his face.

            Liz looked out at him through the glass of the screen door, a bright smile on her face.  DK felt his lips form into an answering smile as she opened the door.  "Derek, you're right on time.  Come on in."

            Liz opened the door wide to usher him in.  Once inside DK looked around the hallway before settling his gaze back on Liz.  She was wearing dark charcoal gray slacks, a lighter gray shirt of some kind underneath a turquoise long sleeved linen shirt, and black boots.  Her red hair was loosely curled around her face.  "What?" DK asked when he saw the amused smile on her face.

            "We couldn't have coordinated our wardrobes better if we had planned it," she answered, starting to chuckle.  DK looked down at his own clothes.  He, too, was wearing dark charcoal gray slacks with a dark blue turtleneck sweater, black boots, and a black leather jacket.  He began to see the humor too.

            "Must be a good sign, huh?"

            "Most definitely."  Liz blushed a little, looking down at the floor for a moment to compose herself.  She gave DK a shy smile when she looked back up.  "So, would you like a brief tour of la_ casa del _Magnuson while you're here?"

            "Sure."  DK followed her from the light colored, simply decorated entryway into the living room.  He gave at a low whistle at the size of the room.  "Good size place you've got here."

            Liz gave a graceful shrug.  "Paid for by my divorce."

            DK just nodded in reply.  He took in the furnishings of the room, walking over to the piano to glance at the sheet music on it.  "Do you play?"

            "A little," she answered with a chuckle, "Though I'm not very good.  I wasn't very good at getting to my lessons when I was younger."

            "You played hooky from piano lessons?"           

            "Yeah, I thought climbing trees was more fun."  Liz led him into the kitchen that smelled of fresh baked bread.  DK found himself smiling again as he looked around the very pleasant room, taking in a deep breath of the wonderful aroma permeating the premises.  

            "Smells like you made your cooking lessons though," he stated.

            "Those were lessons of love from _mi grand mère._"  She motioned for him to follow her out the back door.  DK did so, finding himself in a well-tended jungle.  There were a couple of dwarf apple trees blossoming, filling the air with a sweet scent.  "And this is my relaxation," Liz stated, waving her hand to encompass the whole yard.

            Taking in the beginnings of a vegetable garden, DK asked, "You get a lot out of your garden?"

            Liz nodded.  "I do pretty well. If you remind me, I'll give you a jar of tomatoes to take home or to work to make spaghetti sauce with."

            "I'd like that." They went back in and Liz led him upstairs.  She motioned for him to enter the first room off the hallway while she leaned against the doorframe.  DK looked around the master bedroom, liking the dark forest green and gold color scheme and the large four-poster bed.  He turned back to his hostess with a smile, "You like greenery, don't you?"

            "Yes, I do.  Reminds me of home."

            DK frowned, realizing he didn't know where Liz was from originally.  "Where is home?"

            "Iowa."

            "They have trees in Iowa?  I thought it was all corn."

            Liz rolled her eyes at his little joke.  "I'll tell you about it over dinner."  She motioned for him to follow.  She showed him the guest bedroom and then her office.  DK looked at all the books in the bookcases, finding himself whistling again.  

            "Have you read all these?"

            "Yeah, but you have to realize that's at least thirty years of collecting and reading."

            "Thirty?" DK echoed.  "How old are you?"  He held up a hand.  "Wait, forget I even asked that, I've made the first _faux pas _of the evening."

            Liz walked over the stand in front of him, looking up at him with a forgiving smile.  "From what I've learned, I'm only a few years younger than you, my dear firefighter.  I'm 35, by the way."

            "You sure don't look it."

            "I'll take that as a compliment."

            "It was meant as one."

            Liz led him back down stairs to the entryway.  She pulled a dark gray trench coat off the coat tree as she said, "Now you've seen were I spend my private time.  Whadda ya' think?"

            "I think it's very nice."  He glanced at his watch.  "I also think it's time to go to make our reservations."

            Liz went back to lock the back door before grabbing her purse off the hallway table.  She ushered DK outside then locked the front door.  She linked her arm through his,  "Take me away, _ma chère."_

            DK just chuckled as they went down the stairs.

            Sully actually felt relaxed.  He'd made dinner then turned on some music while he ate.  Afterwards he had stacked the dishes in the sink, not in the mood to wash them right away.  He'd settled down on the couch with a book and had intended to turn the TV on but decided he liked the music better. 

            He was beginning to feel like a normal person again.  He hadn't actually cooked in a while, not having the energy to put anything together. Instead he'd eaten a lot at a little coffee shop around the corner where the food was nice and hot if a little bland.  Some of the waitresses were pretty nice too.

            Opening the book, Sully tried to concentrate on what he was reading but found he couldn't.  His mind kept drifting back to his brief conversation with Liz earlier and how he felt about it. He realized he liked the fact Liz called **him **to be calmed down, it made him feel needed.  He hadn't felt that way in a while, not since before Tatiana had left him the first time.  After she'd come back it hadn't been the same, he didn't really trust her and she didn't ask for much except to have her son live with them.  

            Sully stopped himself from going down that road again, he didn't want to become morose.  He picked up his book again, finally able to concentrate on it.

            Faith felt guilty.  It had only been her, Fred, and Charlie eating together and it had been one of the least stressful family meals they'd had in a long time.  Emily had gotten a reprieve from her grounding to go to a friend's house to work on a school project so she hadn't been home for dinner and Faith hadn't had to endure the sullen looks or the little digs that had become the norm the last few months. 

            As Faith was washing dishes and Fred and Charlie were working on Charlie's homework, Emily came home.  Just seeing her daughter walk through the door made Faith's shoulders tense.  Emily sat down with her father and brother to do the rest of her homework, barely even saying hello to her mother.  As the three at the table talked, Faith felt like she was shut out of their little circle again, a feeling she was really beginning to hate.  Problem was she didn't know what to do about it.

            DK was a content man.  He'd taken Liz to an Italian restaurant over in Long Island City, an old favorite he'd visited many times.  He'd been greeted like an old friend by the maître d' when they'd entered, causing Liz to grin at him.  The food had been wonderful as ever, the company even more so.  They'd talked about a lot of things over dinner from their jobs and coworkers to their families and friends.  

            "So, you're the only girl in the family?"  
            Liz grinned.  "Yeah, my two brothers only have boys so far.  Dale, the older one,  has three boys, ages twelve, eight, and five.  My brother Steve has one boy age three.  He and his wife Kristi want more but so far no luck."  
            "My family has a little more variety.  I've got three brothers, three nephews, and four nieces."

            "No sisters?"

            "Nope, just burly, boneheaded boys."

            "Ah, another household full of testosterone."

            DK chuckled.  "You better believe it.  Do you miss home?"

            "At times," Liz answered as she took a sip of her iced tea.  "Mostly around the change of seasons.  It's just not the same here."

            Frowning, DK asked.  "How so?  The trees change here, we get snow, mud and rain in the spring.  What's different?"

            "Yes, the seasons change but things aren't as connected to the changes here as they are back home."  Liz sat back in her chair, a far away look in her eyes.  "I remember sitting in the kitchen listening to the radio in the morning before school.  My dad always had it on this am country station and no one was allowed to change the channel.  We'd be sitting around eating our various breakfast foods and listening to that radio.  When it was late winter, early spring you knew you'd start hearing ads for fertilizers and weed control.  I learned more about all the things used to control broadleaf than I ever needed to know.

            She paused, smiling at the memory.  "In the fall I knew I wouldn't see much of Dad or the boys unless I helped drive one of the trucks when they were combining or picking corn.  I remember the smell of the dust from all the chaff, the golden color of the corn stalks after they'd fired.  I remember the flurry of trying to get everything winterized before the first snowflakes fell but enjoying what came after that because Dad had a lot of time for us kids then."

            "Are you and your dad close?"

            Liz nodded.  "I call him at least once a week.  I've always been a Daddy's girl."

            "That doesn't surprise me."  
            Smiling, Liz replied, "It's not something I hide.  Dad and I did a lot of things together, just the two of us.  We'd watch certain TV shows together, me sitting on his lap in his recliner when I was still small enough for us to both fit.  Sometimes I'd go out on the tractor with him when he was planting in the spring, the two of us singing at the top of our lungs to what ever country song was on the radio."

            "What  TV shows did you two watch?"

            "Gunsmoke, can you believe it?"  At DK's grin she added, "I've always loved westerns while my brothers couldn't stand them.  We also watched "Emergency!" together, Dad had a thing for Julie London.  Mom used to tease him about it."

            "Did you have a crush on any of the characters?"

            Liz blushed crimson.  "Yeah, Dr. Brackett and Mike Stoker, the engineer.  I liked fire fighters even back then."

            DK laughed out loud.  "Does that mean you still like them now?" he teased.

            "What do you think?" she retorted.

            "I'm hoping you do," he answered with a smile. Just then the waiter returned, asking if they wanted any dessert.  "Liz?"  
            Shaking her head, Liz stated, "No, I'm too full from dinner.  The food was wonderful."  
            "We'll pass on dessert."  The waiter left the check with him before walking away.  As he pulled out his wallet, DK asked, "The night's still young, what else would you like to do?"

            "You up for some exercise?"

            "Depends on what you have in mind."

            "How about going for a walk?"

            "That sounds nice."  He paid the bill and they headed out into the mild weathered evening.

            They'd walked for almost two hours, sometimes talking, sometimes just walking.  Liz had tucked her arm into his again, making DK smile.  He was still smiling as he drove back to her place.  

            He got out to open the door for Liz, getting a shy smile from her for his manners.  DK took her hand as they walked up the stairs.  When they reached the top he felt her stiffen slightly and he knew she was getting tense about what was going to happen next.  He remembered Walsh asking him to be patient and he realized he was very willing to be, not wanting to do anything to make Liz not want to go out with him again.

            DK squeezed her hand gently.  "I had a very nice time tonight."  
            "I did too, Derek.  Thank you."

            "Enough of a good time to want to do it again?"

            He was happy when she didn't even hesitate in saying, "Yes, I'd love to go out with you again."

            "Great, so would I."  He reached down to take her other hand in his before moving slightly closer, but not too close to make her panic.  She continued to look up at him as he slowly bent forward, gently pressing his lips to hers.  He kept the kiss soft and she didn't pull away.  When he did move away he saw she had closed her eyes. She reopened them and he asked, "Will you call me tomorrow?"

            "Sure," she answered softly, smiling now.  "Any certain time?"

            "Naw, when ever you have time."  
            "Okay."  He was surprised when she suddenly pulled him closer to press her lips against his again.  This kiss was gentle but had a little more pressure behind it, causing them both to blush as they pulled apart.  "_Bon soir_, Derek," Liz practically purred.

            "Do you know how it makes me feel when you speak Cajun to me?" DK asked quietly.

            "No, how?"  
            "Just like that last kiss."

            "Guess I'll have to do it more often then."

            DK chuckled.  "Good night, Liz."

            Liz smiled as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. She watched from the door as DK walked to his car so he gave a little wave before climbing in.  He was smiling as he drove home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            DK was whistling as he came up the stairs at the beginning of shift.  He'd stowed most of his gear downstairs and was just carrying his clean uniform, heading towards his locker.  The rest of the crew was already there, donning their own work togs.  Jimmy grinned at DK as he walked into the room.  "Sounds like your date went well."

            DK just smiled as he opened the door to his locker.  Logan popped his head around the door of his own locker, tucking his shirt into his pants.  "So, how did it go?" he asked with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. 

            As he hung up an extra shirt, DK replied, "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

            "Since when?" Jimmy asked, a disbelieving look on his face.      

            Pulling his t-shirt over his head, DK didn't answer right away. He glanced at Walsh, who was giving him a very steady look, before he turned to Jimmy.  "Since now," was all he said as he slipped his feet into his shoes.  Jimmy gave a grunt but didn't ask him anymore questions.  He motioned for Logan to follow him downstairs and the older man fell in step with Jimmy, Lombardo close behind them, leaving DK and Walsh alone.

            Walsh shut the door to his locker before sitting down on a bed, his gaze once again falling on his friend.  DK finished putting his stuff in his locker then sat on the bed across from Walsh to tie his shoes.  Walsh cleared his throat.  "So, how did it really go?"

            "It went fine," DK answered, his smile widening.  He could tell Walsh was getting exasperated by his sparse answers so he relented.  "We had a very nice evening that ended with me walking her to the door and giving her a kiss before I left."

            Walsh visibly relaxed.  He frowned at DK.   "Why didn't you say so?  Or do you want the guys to think something more happened to help your reputation with the guys?"

            DK shook his head, his smile now gone.  "No, that's not why I wouldn't answer.  I figured it's between Liz and me how it ended, no one else needs to know.  Except you, of course."

            Walsh smiled finally.  "Thanks, I was afraid I might have to defend Liz's honor."

            Putting his hand on Walsh's shoulder after he stood, DK gave it a little squeeze.  "Hey, I respect Liz alot, you don't have to worry about me stepping out of line."

            Standing too, Walsh's smile turned a little sheepish. "I know you aren't a player like Jimmy. It's just that I've always had a soft spot for Liz and I feel like I need to protect her, always have for all the years I've known her."

            "I'm developing a soft spot for her too, Bill," DK stated as he headed towards the stairs.  "Come on, we're gonna be late."

            Walsh hurried after him, once again smiling.

            Carlos grabbed the ringing phone since he was the only one in the area at the time.  Doc and Kim were out on a run and  Lt. Johnson had the fire crew cleaning hose and doing other housekeeping duties which left him alone with nothing to do and no one to do it with.  He put the receiver to his ear.  "Squad 55, Nieto speaking.  May I help you?"

            "Hi, Carlos, it's Liz Magnuson. How are you?"

            "Uh, I'm fine." He paused, surprised she asked.  "Uh, how are you?"

            "Pretty good.  Is DK around and could I talk to him?"   

            "He's cleaning hose, just a sec."  Carlos put the phone down before he could hear Liz protesting on the other end of the line.  He thumped his way down the stairs, looking around the bay for the wanted firefighter.  He finally saw him rolling hose with Lombardo.  "Hey, DK!"

            "What?" DK hollered back, not even looking up from what he was doing.

            "Can you take a break for a minute?  There's a phone call for you."

            "Take a message," DK replied.

            "I think you might want to take this one," Carlos stated cryptically, causing  DK to finally look at him.  Carlos wasn't sure why he just didn't tell DK it was Liz on the line but he'd sensed earlier that DK wanted to keep the relationship quiet.  DK finished the roll and handed the hose to Lombardo.

            "I'll be back in a minute."

            Lombardo shrugged.  "Take your time, I could use a break too."

            Chuckling, DK followed Carlos up the stairs.  Carlos waved at the receiver lying on the table as he headed towards the frig for a drink.  DK put the phone to his ear.  "DK here."

            "Hey, Handsome, how's your day going?"

            DK smiled as he recognized the voice.  "Much better now."

            "Sorry to drag you away from the hose, Carlos took off before I could tell him to just tell you I called."

            DK glanced at Carlos as he leaned against the wall. "That's okay, I needed a break.  What's up?"

            "I forgot to give you some tomatoes last night before you left so I thought I'd do one better today."

            "Do one better?" he echoed, a puzzled look settling on his face.

            "Yeah.  Who's supposed to cook dinner tonight?"

            "Walsh with me helping.  Why?"

            "How 'bout I bring dinner over for the group?"

            "You'd do that?  Why?"

            "Because I feel like cooking and I don't want to be faced with tons of leftovers.  What do you say?"

            Just then Lt. Johnson came up, heading towards his office.  "Hang on a sec," DK said to Liz.  He put his hand over the phone to call out, "Hey, Lieu!"

            "Yeah?"

            "Would it be okay if Liz brought us dinner tonight?  She wants to."

            "What would she be making?"

            DK put the phone back up to his mouth.  "Liz, Lieu wants to know what you'd be making."

            He heard her chuckling on the other end.  "Is he gonna say no if it's something he doesn't like?"

            "Naw, I think he's just curious."

            "Tell him Creole chicken, nothing spicy, with a couple of sides and dessert."

            DK relayed this to his lieutenant, who cocked his head.  "Sounds good. What if we're not here but out on a call?"

            DK pointed to Carlos.   "Nieto will be here, he can let her in."

            "Okay, tell her we'd love it."  He continued on to his office.

            "He says that would be great.  Around 6:00-6:30?" DK told Liz.

            "Sure.  I heard what you said about Carlos letting me in if you're on a call. That's fine, the food will keep till you guys get back."

            "Great.  I'll see you later then?"

            "Count on it, _cher ami.  Au revoir."_

            "''Bye."  DK hung up the phone before addressing Carlos.  "Liz will be here around 6:00, let her in and help her carry everything up, okay?"

            "Sure, anything for some good cooking around here."

            DK shook his head and turned to go but then stopped.  "Hey, Carlos."

            "Yeah?"

            "Let's keep this a secret, you know, a surprise for the guys."

            Carlos gave him a puzzled look.  "Why?"

            "For the hell of it."

            Not really caring, Carlos shrugged.  "Okay."

            DK nodded then headed to Lt. Johnson's office.  "Hey, Lieu?"

            Lt. Johnson looked up from the clipboard he was reading. "Yeah, DK?"

            "Can we keep it a secret that Liz is bringing dinner over?"

            Frowning, Lt. Johnson gave DK a long  look before replying, "Sure, but why do you want to do that?"

            "Thought it might be a nice surprise for Billy and the rest," DK answered with a shrug.  He really didn't have a better answer for why he just wanted to keep it quiet.

            "Okay, I'll keep my mouth shut.  What about Nieto?"

            "He already agreed,  he doesn't care as long as he gets to eat."  With that, DK ducked back out of the office, heading back downstairs to help Lombardo with more hose.

            At 5:40 PM the tones went off, sending them on a MVA at 158th and Lexington.  As everyone was climbing in the truck Walsh commented, "Looks like dinner's gonna be a little late tonight."

            Lt. Johnson turned in his seat to look at DK, whose face remained blank.  As the rig pulled out of the station DK looked out the side window and caught a glimpse of red hair before the truck turned away.

            When the crew returned an hour later, everyone was talking about how hungry they were.  

            "Maybe we should just order pizza," Lombardo suggested.  "It'll get here in about the same time it'll take Billy to make something."

            "That sounds good," Logan agreed.

            "Let's wait until we get upstairs to decide," stated Lt. Johnson.

            After the rig was parked and their gear stored, the company trooped up the stairs.  Lombardo was in front and he suddenly stopped, sniffing the air while the others protested behind him.  "Sorry, but I smell food."

            "Don't tell me Nieto tried to cook," groaned Jimmy.  "If he did we're definitely ordering pizza."

            "Smells too good to be Nieto's cooking," Logan stated.

            "How 'bout we move, people, and find out," suggested Lt. Johnson, turning to look at DK who was going up the steps beside him.  DK gave him a small grin.

            The crew hurried up the stairs into the kitchen area to find the table set, Carlos and Liz looking over a book together at the counter.  "Hi, guys," Carlos acknowledged them, "How was the run?"

            "Two extractions, only one person seriously injured enough to go to the hospital," answered Walsh as he moved to Liz's side to give her a hug.  "What brings you by, gorgeous?"  
            "Please tell me you cooked and not Nieto!" exclaimed Jimmy, causing Carlos to glare at him.

            Liz smiled at Carlos before looking at Jimmy.  "He did help with the biscuits.  Go wash up while we put out the food."

            Surprisingly everyone did as they were told, though DK stayed to help.  As he was washing his hands in the sink Liz stood on tip toe to kiss his cheek. "By their reaction I take it you didn't tell them I was coming."

            DK grinned.  "Naw, thought we'd surprise them.  Didn't Carlos tell you?"

            "No, I was too busy teaching him how to make biscuits then he was teaching me some medical stuff."

            "What?  You two were playing doctor?"

            Carlos whirled around with a bowl of potatoes in his hands, almost sending the contents flying.  "We were-" he started to protest until he saw the teasing look on DK's face.

            Liz grabbed the bowl to keep Carlos from dropping it.  "Sorry, Carlos, he's just making a bad joke."  She gave DK a reproving look as she slipped a serving spoon into the potatoes.  "Put these on the table, please."

            Carlos nodded, heading towards the table.  Liz motioned for DK to grab a plate of chicken as the rest of the crew started trooping back in.  Lombardo stopped at the fridge to dispense drinks while everyone else sat down.

            "What smells so good?" Logan asked , eyeing the plates being placed on the table.

            "Creole smothered chicken, roasted potatoes, green beans, biscuits with jelly and bread pudding with brandy sauce still in the oven for dessert," Liz answered as she sat down between Walsh and DK.

            "Why did you cook all this for us?" Lombardo asked, quickly adding, "Not that I'm complaining, mind you, just curious."

            Smiling, Liz replied, "I woke up with a strong urge to cook that I couldn't ignore and I didn't want tons of leftovers so I asked DK if I could bring dinner over. Lt. Johnson graciously agreed and here it is."

            "Thank you, Liz, and thank you, Lieu," retorted Walsh as he began to eat.  "You both were life savers today."

            They all began to eat, calling out compliments to the chef from time to time.  Lt. Johnson stopped suddenly, looking over at Liz.  "Is this all of it or is there more for Doc and Kim?"

            "There's more in the oven for them, Carlos and I set it aside since we knew they wouldn't be back with the rest of you."

            "Thank you," he waved his hand at the table, "and thanks for all this."

            Liz grinned.  "It was my pleasure."

            "Feels like old times, doesn't it?" Walsh asked between mouthfuls.

            "Sure does and it feels wonderful," she answered.

            Walsh nodded, grinning.  "Still have the **midsouth** hospitality instinct, huh?"

            "Midsouth?" echoed Jimmy while Liz blushed.  "What the hell is that?"  
            Chuckling, Walsh explained, "Liz here is from the Midwest but also has roots in the South.  Both cultures will never turn anyone away who shows up on their doorstep and will always try to feed them.  Liz can't help it, she has a double dose in her blood which we've always called her "**Midsouthern Instinct"**."  He paused, grinning at Liz. "We never did convince you to wear one of those hoop skirts, did we?"

            Liz's blush deepened.  _"À ca oui, mi cher 'tit chou!"  she growled out huskily._

            "I don't know what you just said, but could you say it again?  Rrroowwl," Lombardo purred.  Liz ducked her head as Walsh threw a biscuit at Joe.  Joe caught it with a grin, splitting it to butter it.

            "Simmer down," ordered Lt. Johnson but he was smiling too. Everyone turned when they heard footsteps on the stairs.  Doc and Kim walked in, talking softly between them.  "How's the kid?" Johnson asked.

            "Lucky, only a separated shoulder and a mild concussion," answered Doc.

            Kim looked around the table, puzzled.  "Where did dinner come from?"

            DK put his arm around Liz's shoulders. "Our lovely Officer Magnuson here." 

            Doc smiled.  "Hey, Liz."

            "Hi, Doc, Kim.  There's more in the oven for you two."

            "Really?  Thanks."  Kim headed to the oven , grabbing a pot holder as Doc moved over to the sink to wash his hands.  They joined the group at the table with their share, joining in the conversation.

            After dinner Lt. Johnson stopped Liz when she moved to help clear the table.  "Cook doesn't do clean up," he stated simply.  He motioned for her to follow him into his office.  Once inside he gently closed the door, indicating she should have a seat.  Liz gave him a puzzled look as she sat down.  
            "Is there something wrong, Lieutenant?"

            Lt. Johnson sat down in his desk chair, turning to look at her with a small smile on his face.  "No, I just wanted to thank you again for the delicious dinner.  Could I get the recipe for the bread pudding for my wife some time?"

            "Sure, I'll drop it off next time we're both working."

            Sobering, Lt. Johnson moved his chair closer to Liz.  She gave him another puzzled look but didn't say anything.  Johnson leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  "Liz, I want to come clean with  you."

            "About what?"  
            "I know who you are." Liz went so pale and still Lt. Johnson reached out to put his hand on her arm.  "Liz, are you okay?  Do I need to get Doc in here?"

            Liz shook her head.  "No, sir, I'll be okay," she stated quietly.  She reached up a shaky hand to push her hair away from her face.  "Can I ask how?"

            "I put it together from something Walsh said and from a few things Swersky said the last time I talked to him."  Lt. Johnson patted her on the arm before removing his hand.  "I won't say anything if you don't want me to.  And you don't have to call me sir, you can call me Lieu or Frank"

            "You have rank and though you're not my supervisor you still deserve respect, at least that's what I hear from your guys."

            It was Lt. Johnson's turn to be uncomfortable.    He cleared his throat before replying, "They say that, huh?"  At her nod he smiled.  "Thanks for telling me.  But, from what I know, you are actually of equal rank to me."

            Shaking her head, Liz stated.  "Not right now I'm not.  And  I couldn't call you by your given name in your station."            

"How 'bout we compromise?  You call me Lieu in the station and Frank in social situations.  Deal?"

            Liz smiled despite how she was feeling.  "Deal.  Will you do something for me?"

            "Sure, if I can."

            "Please don't say anything to your crew, especially DK.  I will tell him when I'm ready.  I promise I won't wait too long and hurt him."  
            Lt. Johnson took her hands in his.  "I never thought you would, you don't strike me as that kind of person.  Besides, he's a big boy, it takes a lot to hurt him."  He stood, drawing Liz up with him.  "Are you okay to join the others?"

            Liz swallowed hard.  "Yeah."  

            They walked out of the office, both plastering pleasant facades on their faces. Walsh gave them both a strange look but didn't say anything as Liz joined him and DK while Lt. Johnson went downstairs.  Lombardo and Logan had gotten stuck with washing the dishes and were playfully griping at each other.  Liz noticed Carlos wasn't around anywhere.  "Where's Carlos?" she asked.

            "I think he may have gone up on the roof," Walsh answered, just noticing the paramedic wasn't there anymore.

            "DK, will you take me up there so I can thank him?"

            "Sure, come on."  DK took her hand, leading her up the stairs.  Once they were on the roof they found Carlos looking down at the city, lost in thought.  They approached him quietly, so quietly that Carlos jumped when Liz put a hand on his arm

            "I'm sorry, Carlos, I didn't mean to startle you."

            "That's okay, I didn't hear you come up."  He looked at DK then back at her.  "Did you want something?"  
            "Just to say thanks for all your help and the info you gave me," Liz said with a smile.

            "Yeah, thanks, Carlos," added DK.

            Shrugging, Carlos replied, "No problem.  Thanks for the biscuit recipe."

            "You're welcome."  Liz surprised both men when she stood on tip toe to kiss Carlos on the cheek.  "Hang in there, okay?"

            Carlos looked at her in amazement, unable to reply.  He just nodded at her.  Liz took DK's hand again and lead him toward the door.  Carlos watched them go then turned back to watch the traffic below again.

            Alex helped DK and Liz carry out the empty dishes to Liz's car.  "Are you like Superwoman or something?" she asked the red head when everything was stowed away.

            "I don't even want to know what "something" is," Liz retorted, giving Alex a puzzled look.  "Why?"

            "Well, is there anything you can't do?  I mean, you're a great cook, you kick ass at darts and aren't too bad at pool, and you're smart. You've gotta have a flaw somewhere or you're Superwoman!"

            "Believe me, I have my flaws, but I'm not going to tell you what they are in front of DK here."  Liz nudged him with an elbow  "He has to find them out on his own after I do my darndest to keep them hidden."

            They all laughed.  "Thanks for dinner," Alex stated again.

            "Thanks for eating it."

            "That wasn't a problem.  Good night."

            As Alex headed back inside, DK pulled Liz into his arms.  "It was very thoughtful of you to cook dinner for us."

            Liz shrugged as she wrapped her arms around his waist.  "You guys saved me from a lot of leftovers.  Besides, it gave me the opportunity to see you again."  
            "Lucky me."  He pulled her in for a kiss and this time there wasn't anything hesitant about it on either side.  When they broke apart DK glanced up and saw they had an audience, causing him to chuckle.

            "What's so funny?"

            "We have an audience."

            "Oh."  Liz glanced over her shoulder to see some of DK's coworkers standing at the windows watching, causing her to shake her head.  "I swear you men are worse then a group of old biddies at times."

"We have our moments." He gave her a wicked grin.  "Wanna give them something to talk about?"

            Liz didn't bother to reply verbally, she just pulled him in for another kiss.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	9. Deductions and Revelations

            Ty was almost bowled over by Liz as she come rushing into the locker room.  "Whoa, Red!  Where's the fire? And what's in the backpacks?"

            Liz tried ducking around him but Ty kept moving to block her.  "Move it, Davis, before I knock you on your keister!" she declared, finally faking him out to get around him.  She ran around the lockers toward Sully and passed him one of the backpacks before disappearing around the corner.

            "Thanks!" Sully called out.  He tucked the backpack under his arm as he moved towards the door.  He and Ty both glanced over to see Liz changing in a flurry of flying clothes.

            Faith gave her partner an amused look.  "How come you're running late?"

            "I'll tell you later," was all Liz said as she strapped on her vest.  "Save me a seat."

            Faith headed out the door behind Sully and Ty, listening to their banter.  

            "What's in the bag, Sully?"

            "You'll find out later."

            "Come on!  Why did she have two?"

            "You'll find out later, Davis."

            They went into roll call, Sully and Faith saving a seat between them for Liz.  Just as Sgt. Christopher was shutting the door Liz pushed her way through.  She and the sergeant eyed each other, neither one saying anything, before Liz slid past him and slipped into the seat next to Faith, tucking the backpack by her feet.  Sully smirked at Liz, amused by the non-verbal exchange between her and Sgt. Christopher.  Liz stuck her tongue out at him, causing Sully to chuckle. They heard Lt. Swersky clear his throat and they both looked to the front to see he was watching them very sternly.  They gave him small grins then tried to look innocent, failing miserably.  A ghost of a smile flitted across Lt. Swersky's face before he got down to business.

            After roll call they all headed to get their radios, Ty giving Liz the third degree.  "What made you late?"

            "I was working on a project and lost track of time."

            "By yourself?" Liz blushed and Ty had his answer.  "Oh, ho!  Is that what we're calling it now?'

            Liz punched him in the arm lightly.  "You do have a one track mind, don't you?"

            "Of course."

            "For your information we were working on something and it had nothing to do with sex, it had to with what's in the backpack."

            "Was DK late too?" interjected Faith before Ty could continue his interrogation.

            "I hope not.  He'd brought his gear with him so when we saw how late it was we hopped in the car and boogied to work as fast as we could."

            "I'm sure that's not the only boogying you were doing."

            Liz gave a grunt of frustration but didn't reply.  Instead she turned to Faith, "Grab a radio for me, okay?  I gotta talk to Swersky," and hurried off.

            "What'd I say?"  Ty asked, a confused look on his face.

            "You just don't know when to let up, junior," Sully replied as he steered his partner towards the door.

            DK ran into the station, quickly stowing some of his gear down stairs before rushing up the stairs.  Everyone was starting to congregate in the common area, waiting for their roll call, as he ran past.  As Lt. Johnson came out of his office, DK was just starting up the stairs to the locker area.  "I'll be right back, Boss!" he yelled.

            "Make it quick, DK," Lt. Johnson stated as the others made quips at DK's fast retreating back.  True to his word, DK bounded back down the stairs a few minutes later, pulling on his sweatshirt.  Lt. Johnson glanced at him, saying, "Nice of you to join us."

            DK just gave him a sheepish look.  The lieutenant gave out their work assignments and the firefighters headed downstairs to start their chores.  As they went down the stairs Alex nudged DK in the ribs.  "What made you late?  You and Lady Blue playing cops and robbers?"

            Shaking his head, DK answered, "No, but I was with Liz."

            "That makes every day this week, doesn't it?"  Walsh replied, smiling.

            "Yeah," DK stated simply before walking away to start cleaning hose.

            Alex and Walsh watched him go.  "He's got it bad, doesn't he?"  Alex asked, an amused smile on her face.

            "Sure looks that way."  Walsh steered her towards the engine and the air bottles they were assigned to check.

            "Doesn't it bother you?"

Sully glance over at his partner from the driver's seat.  "What?"

            "That DK horned in on your action?"

            "He didn't horn in on anything, Davis," answered Sully with a scowl.  "Why can't you understand that Liz and I are just friends?"

            Davis put his hands up in supplication.  "You two looked like you were getting a lot closer than that, okay?"  At Sully's frown he added, "Besides, you've been a lot more cheerful lately so I thought you were falling for her."

            Slowly turning a corner, Sully didn't reply for a minute.  When he did his voice was very quiet, "Have you ever thought, Ty, that I'm not ready for anything like that yet?"

            "No. Sorry, man, I didn't really think about it."  After a pause, Ty asked, "Why have you and Liz become so close if you weren't having romantic feelings for her?"

            "Because she's very easy to talk to, kind of like your mother."  Sully smiled at the surprise on Ty's face.  "I realize we've only known her for a little more than two weeks but I've become very comfortable with her, she's kind of on the same level of friends as Maggie.  I've also found out that Liz and I have some things in common."

            "Like what?"

            "We both love some of the same kinds of music, we both like to cook, we've both been on this job a while, and we're both recovering alcoholics."

            "Okay, you've got a lot in common, you're just friends, I'll drop it."

            "Thank you."  Sully finally smiled again.  "Besides, you get to reap the benefits of having Liz around too."

            "How so?"

            "I was going to wait until dinner time and show you."

            "Show me what?"

            "That backpack Liz gave me has our dinner in it.  We discussed doing a picnic a couple of days ago for our meal break and she thought of putting it in two backpacks in case one of the sectors gets tied up on a call."

            "That backpack has food in it?"

            "Plus plates, utensils, and glasses.  All we have to buy is something to drink."

            "Really?  All that's in there?"  
            "Yeah.  Liz got the backpacks as gifts from different friends a couple of years ago."

            "What's for dinner then?"

            "I don't know but I'm sure it'll be good."

  
            Faith swallowed the bite of sandwich she'd been chewing on before asking, "What's in this again?  It's really good."

            "Roast beef, provolone, and mushroom pesto," Liz answered, handing her partner a napkin.  They were sitting on the hood of their squad under a bridge trestle, enjoying the nice weather and eating their dinner that Liz had brought for them. "Too bad Sully and Davis got tied up on a call."

"Yeah."  Faith looked the food over. "And you made the chips too?"

            Liz nodded.  "I had some potatoes to use up before they went bad."

            "You'll have to teach me how to make them, my kids would go nuts for them."

            "Any time you want just come over and I'll teach you.  You could bring the kids along too."

            Faith shook her head.  "I don't think I'd want to inflict Emily on you again, I don't want to scare you away."

            "Teenage girls are always sooo much fun," Liz drawled, smiling at her partner.  Faith couldn't help but smile back.  Just then she caught some type of unusual movement in her peripheral vision.  Liz must have heard something because she turned her head to look too.  As they watched, a dark green sedan tore across the grass, straight towards the bank of the Hudson. 

            "Oh, my god!" exclaimed Faith as the car flew off the end of the embankment.  Liz jumped up, already pulling off her duty belt and shirt.

            "Faith, can you swim?" Liz barked as she kicked off her shoes while ripping the velcro straps of her vest apart.  

            "Not very well," Faith answered.

            "Okay.  Call it in and throw my stuff in the squad."  With that Liz ran for the shore, her baton in her hand.    

            Faith started calling it in as Liz dove into the water.  "55-David to Central, we have a car in the water at west 56th under the trestle.  Send us a bus and fire forthwith."

            *10-4, 55-David*

            Faith gathered Liz's gear and their dinner items quickly, throwing it all in the back seat and locking the squad.  She rushed down the end of the cement bank to watch her partner's rescue attempt.  Liz had reached the car as it was just starting to sink.  Faith could see her trying the door handles on the passenger side, unsuccessfully.  Liz swung her baton at the front passenger window, managing to crack it.  Faith watched as Liz swung again, this time managing to break through the glass.  Faith winced as Liz reached through the broken glass, not stopping to clear out the frame.  

            By now the car had sunk to the bottom of the windows.  Liz managed to get in the back seat and Faith could see she was pulling on something.  Liz's head then dipped into the front seat and Faith assumed she was trying to get to the driver.  Faith could hear the sirens of the fire department and the ambulance closing in on their location as she watched her partner slide down into the back seat, pulling the driver over the seat with her.  When Faith thought her partner was going to go down with the car, Liz got herself out, pushing a baby carrier in front of her while pulling the female driver behind her.  Faith watched as Liz treaded water, moving the driver into the crook of her right arm so she could swim back to shore easier.              

            Fire and the paramedics screeched to a halt behind their RMP when Liz was about ten feet from shore.  As they all came running Faith turned to yell at them, "Grab some blankets!"

            She saw Lt. Johnson and DK stop mid stride to turn and do what she asked.  Jimmy, Alex, and Walsh arrived at Faith's side at the same time Liz reached shore.  All four reached down to pull the baby and the female out of the water.  Liz waved them off when they reached down to her, telling them to tend to the victims while she clung to the cement wall.  Faith, Alex, and Jimmy carried the victims over to the treatment area Kim and Doc had set up, Lt. Johnson bringing them blankets.  DK walked over to where Walsh was still crouched down by Liz, his hand on her shoulder.  

            "Can you crawl up out of there?" Walsh asked.

            DK dropped to his knees to help when Liz stuttered out, "N..n...no".  He and Walsh each grabbed her by her under belt, lifting on the count of three. Liz had no energy left to help them so she landed like a sack of wet cement.  Walsh helped her sit up while DK wrapped the blanket he'd carried over around her.  They waited for Liz to catch her breath before DK inquired, "Think you can stand?"

            "W..wi..th...a...lit..t..le...help."  They each wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her to her feet.  Walsh moved his arm up to her shoulders to walk her over to the triage area while DK kept pace with them in case he was needed.  They stopped to watch the victims being treated. 

            Faith was helping Kim with the baby while Alex was kneeling beside Doc.  Faith wrote down vitals as Kim called them out, handing her items as Kim asked for them.  Alex was putting an oxygen mask on the female as Doc started looking her over for any injuries.  Kim had the baby ready to be transported when Doc sat back on his heels, puzzled.  "Where did the blood come from?" he asked.

            "What?"  Alex looked up from grabbing an IV out of a bag.

            "There's blood on her shirt but I can't find where there's any bleeding."

            Alex looked down at the woman's shirt and saw what had Doc puzzled before glancing up at Faith and Kim who'd paused in heading to the ambulance.  Kim shrugged so Alex looked over to her right. She saw Walsh, Liz, and DK standing together, watching them.  It took a moment before Alex realized only Walsh and DK were actually watching, Liz was staring straight ahead.  "Hey, Magnuson!" she called.        

            Liz didn't move. Walsh and DK both turned their heads to look at the bedraggled officer between them when she didn't reply to Alex.  In turn, Alex was already on her feet, moving towards them.  "Liz?" said Walsh as he squeezed her shoulders.

            All three firefighters realized something was wrong.  Alex noted a bluish tinge to Liz's lips as she reached out to pull the blanket open.  Liz had been clutching the blanket closed with her left hand while her right arm dangled at her side and they now saw why.  Blood was dripping from Liz's fingers, running from numerous deep cuts on her forearm and bicep.  Walsh and DK quickly scooped Liz up to lay her gently down on the ground as Alex hollered at Lt. Johnson, "Call for another bus, we've got another victim!"

            Alex ran over to the trauma bag that sat next to Doc.  "Doc, I need pressure dressings and an IV.  Can you handle your patient by yourself?"

            "Yeah, she's ready to go.  Jimmy, bring me the stretcher."

            "Lieu, we need some more blankets!" Alex yelled as she rushed back over to the downed officer. DK had put on his latex gloves so he started putting pressure dressings on the wounds while Alex started an IV in Liz's other arm.  Walsh helped elevate Liz's injured arm while DK wrapped. Lt. Johnson dropped to his knees at the officer's feet, lifting them to place a folded blanket underneath.  He tucked another blanket around her legs then handed Walsh one to put under her head.

            "Taylor, are you okay over there?" Doc yelled as they started to move the stretcher towards the ambulance.

            "Yeah, we got another bus coming."  They could hear other sirens approaching so they knew more help was not far off.   Doc quickly gathered up the rest of his equipment before heading to his bus.         

As Adam 55-3 pulled out, another ambulance pulled in, cutting their siren as they rolled to a stop with 55-Charlie right behind them.  Sully and Davis got out of their squad as the paramedics grabbed their bags and they helped carry equipment over to the crowd.  

Just then Liz started to come around.  She moved her head and when she found she couldn't move her arms she really started to fight them. Liz wrenched her arms out of Walsh and Alex's grips, pulling out the IV in the process.  Jimmy had knelt by her feet with Lt. Johnson so he tried to grab her flailing legs.  Liz drew her right foot back then kicked out hard, catching Jimmy squarely in the left side of his jaw.  Jimmy found himself falling, landing on his back while holding his jaw.  

            Once her arms and legs were free, Liz tried to scramble backwards, away from the crowd around her.  Her injured arm wouldn't support her so she fell on her right side.  DK touched her shoulder and she let out a keening sound, like that of a scared animal.  It suddenly dawned on Walsh what the problem was.  He motioned for everyone to get back as he crawled closer to the down officer, who was now in a fetal position, clutching her injured arm.  

            "Beth, it's okay.  It's me, Billy Walsh.  You're safe now, no one's gonna hurt you," he said gently into her ear, still not touching her.  He saw Liz's eyes open but they still weren't focused on anything.  He put his hand on her shoulder and she jumped but didn't make a sound.  He whispered in her ear again.  "It's okay, _mi cheri, no one's going to hurt you.  Let us help you, _mi cher 'tit chou._"_

            His words penetrated the haze of fear in Liz's mind and she turned to look at him.  Recognition and relief flooded into her gaze as she looked at him.  Walsh reached out to push a wet strand of hair out of her eyes.  "Billy?" Liz whispered.

            "Yeah, it's me.  We just want to help you, can you lay back down for us?"

            As Liz looked up at the others, her face flushed in embarrassment.  She straightened out, lying back down so the paramedics could treat her.  Lt. Johnson had helped Jimmy up, took one look at the swelling already starting, and told him to go to the hospital too.

            Sully had watched the whole scene.  Liz's cry of fear was still ringing in his ears as he watched the paramedics put her on a stretcher. He saw Walsh was talking to his lieutenant, appearing to be asking for something to which Lt. Johnson nodded, agreeing to what ever Walsh was asking him.  Walsh then pulled Taylor aside, talking quietly to her so the others could not hear.  She looked at him before nodding, just as the lieutenant had.  Alex hurried over to the ambulance and climbed in behind the paramedics.  As Walsh started to walk toward the engine Sully grabbed him by the arm.

            "Walsh, you gotta minute?"  Sully motioned for him to follow.  They walked out of earshot of the others with Walsh's back to the group.  What Sully had just seen and all the other little clues he had picked up over the last few weeks had finally added up and he needed to have Walsh verify his conclusion.

            "What do you need, Sully?"  Walsh asked, giving the officer a puzzled look.

            "Liz is Beth Faust, isn't she?  She's the arson investigator that was kidnapped and raped two years back by an obsessed fireman."

            Walsh looked down at his feet for a moment before quietly saying, "Yes, she is."

            Sully scowled.  "Why didn't she tell us?"

            Walsh looked at him in disbelief.  "You're kidding, right?  That's not something you go around telling people.  She didn't want you all to think of her as damaged goods."  He stopped, scuffling one of his toes in the grass for a moment.  Finally he spoke again.  "She knew she'd have to prove she was a good cop before you guys would trust her.  If she had told you who she was she felt she would have had to work twice as hard to prove herself still able to do the job."

            Sully's face softened.  "And she would have been right, unfortunately."  His hand came out of his pocket in a pleading gesture.  "After all I've told her about myself, why didn't she tell me?"

            Walsh could hear the pain in Sully's voice.  "She wanted to very much but she still wasn't sure how you'd react.  If you hadn't figured it out I think she was going to tell you soon, just so you'd understand that she really did know what you were going through."

            Sully nodded.   "Thanks for telling me."

            Walsh shrugged. "You figured it out, I just confirmed it.  I just hope it doesn't change things for you."  Walsh walked away, heading back to the engine where his coworkers were waiting for him.  Sully watched him go before he decided to round up his partner and head to the hospital.

            In the back of the ambulance Alex assisted Gage Michaels in treating Liz by holding her injured arm up to slow the bleeding.  Alex also made sure she stayed within Liz's view so the officer wouldn't panic, though Alex really didn't think that would happen again.  Liz was quiet, only answering questions with terse answers, her head turned away from Gage.  Jimmy was sitting in the front of the bus, holding a cold pack to his jaw.  

            Alex thought back to what had happened back on the riverbank.  She had never heard another human being produce the sound that had come from Liz's throat and she wondered what had happened to the woman in the past to make her react like that.  The sound still echoed in her ears.  Alex wanted to ask Liz but knew that would be stepping over the line.  She could tell the whole thing embarrassed Liz since the officer wouldn't make eye contact with her.

            Alex felt the ambulance slow, then stop.  She helped Gage gather what he needed as the doors were opened by Jimmy and Bob Fulton, Gage's partner.  As the wheels of the gurney hit the ground, Liz reached out to grasp Jimmy's arm.  Mindful of the IV in her arm, Jimmy told the others to stop.  Jimmy looked down at the bedraggled woman lying there.  "Yeah?"

            "I'm sorry about your jaw," Liz stated quietly, remorse written all over her face.

            Jimmy gave her a smile then winced at the pain it caused.  "It's okay, forget about it.  These things happen."

            Liz released his arm and they wheeled her inside.  

            Faith couldn't believe she was once again worrying about a hurt partner.  She thought she'd put that behind her when she and Bosco had broken up since Liz was not reckless and headstrong like he was.  Faith was still shaking her head as she pulled up outside the precinct.  She was surprised to see Lt. Swersky was waiting outside already and he rushed over before she even had the squad stopped, pulling open the passenger door.  As he sat down he asked, "What happened, Faith?"

            "Liz hurt her arm pulling a mom and baby out of a sinking car, Lieu," she answered as she backed the squad up.  As she turned the car towards the hospital, Faith added, "She also had something like a panic attack."

            "What? When?"  Lt. Swersky was watching Faith closely, as if the story  was written all over her face.

            "After they pulled her out of the river.  She didn't even let on she was hurt, she went into shock while we were helping the mom and baby."  Faith glanced at her superior and saw his face was set in the hard mask he put on when he was upset.  "Taylor started treating her and gave her an IV which brought her around.  I don't know if it was being surrounded by so many people or the fact they were holding her down, but Liz panicked.  She managed to pull out her IV and kick Doherty in the jaw before she collapsed again.  Walsh calmed her down and made sure Taylor went in the ambulance with Liz to the hospital."

            Faith stopped to take a deep breath.  "Lieu, I've never heard anyone cry out like Liz did.  It scared the hell out of me."

            Lt. Swersky rubbed his hand over his face, not looking at Faith now.  "Not as scared as she was though," he whispered.

            Faith frowned at him.  "What was that?"

            He just shook his head.  "Nothing.  Just get us there as fast as you can, okay?"

            Silence settled into the car.

            Sully and Davis pulled up to the hospital right as they were wheeling Liz inside.  "Sul, are we here officially?" Davis asked, the radio mike in his hand.

            Sully nodded.  "Yeah, we're here on follow up since we're probably gonna have to write this thing up."

            Davis frowned at him.  "Why?  Faith and Liz saw everything, we didn't."

            "I doubt either one of them is going to be in any shape to write anything up, that's why.  They'd do the same for us."

            Davis just nodded in agreement as they got out of the squad.  When they entered the ER they could see the flurry of activity going on in two treatment rooms.  In a third treatment room Doherty lay on a bed, holding another ice pack to his jaw.  They walked in to talk to him.

            "Hey, Jimmy, how's the jaw?" Ty asked, reaching out to pull the ice pack away for minute.  He winced in sympathy when he saw the dark bruise already forming.  "Ouch!"

            "Painful," was Jimmy's reply.  

            Sully pulled out a notebook.  "Did you see much of what happened?"

            Jimmy went to shake his head but stopped when it hurt too much.  "No, Magnuson had both of the victims almost to shore by the time we got there.  We just pulled all three out of the water."

            "Have you heard why the woman drove into the river?" Ty asked.

            "She had an insulin reaction," came the answer from the door.  Doc stood there, hands on his hips.  "Guess she hadn't eaten in a while and she blacked out at the wheel.  She and the baby are gonna be just fine."

            "That's good," answered Ty.

            "Any word on Liz?" Sully asked.

            "Dr. Fields is looking at her right now.  She might need surgery on her arm, she cut herself up pretty good."

            "If she hadn't the mom and baby wouldn't have made it," Jimmy added quietly.  The others turned to look at him.  "The car had sunk to its roof by the time we got there, you saw that, Doc."

            Doc just nodded.  Sully turned back to him.  "You got the name of the mother and the baby?"

            "Yeah, my run sheet's out here."  Sully followed Doc out of the room, leaving Jimmy and Ty alone.  

            "You know Liz didn't mean to kick you, don't you?" Ty asked.

            "Yeah, she already apologized to me."  Jimmy shifted on the bed, trying to get more comfortable.  "Do you know why she reacted the way she did?"

            "No clue."

            "Walsh knows but he won't tell us," Jimmy stated.  

            "Well, I guess that's their business."  Ty reached out to pat Jimmy on the shoulder.  "Hang in there.  I'm gonna go see what my partner's up to."

            "See ya, Davis."  Ty gave him a wave as he left the cubical.  Jimmy shut his eyes and sighed.

            Lt. Swersky and Faith were entering the ER when Davis walked up to Sully and Doc.  Sully put up a hand to head off any questions.  "Dr. Fields is looking at her right now.  Doc says she might need surgery because some of the cuts are pretty deep."

            "Dammit," uttered Faith, hanging her head.  

            "When can we see her?" Lt. Swersky asked.

            Doc reached out to put his hand on Lt. Swersky's shoulder.  "I'm sure they'll let you in as soon as Dr. Fields is done examining her."  He looked around at all the tense faces.  "You guys want some coffee?  Come on, Davis, let's go get them some."

            Doc motioned for Davis to follow him as Sully started questioning Faith about the incident.  When she asked why he wanted to know, Sully told her and the lieutenant that he'd write up the report so Faith could stay with her partner.

            "Thanks, Sully," Faith said after she told him everything.

            "You'd do the same for me," was all he said.

            Just as Doc and Davis were coming back with coffee, Dr. Fields came out to talk to them.  "I'm having her prepped for surgery.  I don't think she cut any tendons but I can't be certain.  There's an OR and a surgeon waiting for her.  She was going into shock but the IVs helped reverse that.  She's going to be fine but she's gonna be out of service for a month or two, depending on how fast her physical therapy goes."

            "Can we see her?" Lt. Swersky asked.

            "Sure but she'll be a little groggy from all the pain killers we've given her."  Dr. Fields pointed out which room she was in then walked away.

            Lt. Swersky surprised both Faith and Sully when he put his arm around Faith's shoulders.  "Come on, Faith, let's go see her."

            Faith didn't say anything; just let her supervisor lead her to her partner.  Sully watched them walk away, his mouth slightly agape.

            "Something wrong, Sully?" Doc asked, puzzled by the big man's reaction.

            "Naw, just never saw Swersky do that before," Sully answered.  "Took me by surprise."

            "Looks like it took Faith by surprise too."

            "Yeah, but I think it was meant to comfort the lieutenant more than Yokas.  He and Liz were partners a long time ago."

            "Really?"  Doc frowned.  "I didn't think Liz was that old."

            "No one did. She wears her age well."

            Doc and Sully both heard a swell of voices coming from the entrance and turned to the see the firefighters trooping in.  Doc pointed to Jimmy's room.  "Doherty's in there, still waiting to be looked at."

            Lt. Johnson raised a hand in thanks and headed in to talk to his man.  All the others followed except Walsh and DK, they stopped in front of Doc and Sully.

            "How's Liz?" Walsh asked, his face a mask of worry.  DK's face was carefully guarded, showing no emotion what so ever.

            "She's getting prepped for surgery," Doc answered.  His radio went off, sending him in search of Kim.  

            "Surgery?  Is it that serious?" DK asked, worry in his voice.

            Sully nodded.  "Dr. Fields said he didn't think any tendons had been cut but he couldn't be sure so a neurosurgeon's gonna take a look and sew her back up.  I guess some of the cuts are pretty deep."

            DK hung his head. "Why didn't she wait for us?"

            "From what Jimmy told me, she didn't have a choice.  If she'd waited the woman and baby probably wouldn't have made it." Sully stated, putting his hand on DK's shoulder.  "She's a strong woman, she'll pull out of this just fine."

            "He's right, you know," said Faith as she joined them.  

            Sully thought she looked much better than she had when she arrived.  "How does she look?"  he asked.

            Faith gave them both a grateful smile.  "Better than she did earlier.  She's really quiet though."

            "Lieu still in there with her?" Davis asked.

            "Yeah, they're going over a few details of what she needs him to do for her at home."

            "Is it okay for us to go see her?" Sully inquired.

            "Sure, she'd like that," Faith answered.

            Sully handed her his untouched cup of coffee.  "Here, you look like you could use this."

            "Thanks."  Faith took a sip before turning her attention to the firemen still there.  "How's Doherty?"

            "We don't know, we stopped to talk to Sully and Davis first," stated Walsh.

            "Liz was asking about him."

            DK motioned towards Jimmy's treatment room.  "Why don't we go find out so we can give Liz an update?

            The three headed into the already crowded room.

            Lt. Swersky looked at the door when he heard a male clear his throat to see Bill Walsh standing there, a worried look on his face.  "Can I come in?" Walsh asked.

            Waving his hand for the firefighter to come over, Lt. Swersky replied, "Sure, if you don't mind talking to a groggy patient."  He patted Liz on her good shoulder.  "I'll see you after surgery, kiddo."

            Liz gave him a lop-sided smile. "Okay," she whispered.

            Walsh waited until the lieutenant was out the door before he moved to her beside, leaning on the side rail.  "Hey, darling, how you feeling?"

            "A little fuzzy."

            "You should with all the pain killers they've put in you."  He reached down to grasp her good hand with his.  "Liz, you need to know something."

            "What?" she slurred, trying to focus on him.

            "Sully knows."

            Liz went completely still when Walsh's words penetrated the haze enveloping her thoughts.  "How?"

            Walsh shrugged.  "He put all the pieces together and figured it out.   Your reaction at the scene was the last piece he needed to put it all together; he asked me and I couldn't deny it."  Liz closed her eyes and was silent.  When Walsh saw a tear trickle out of the corner of her eye he reached out to wipe it away.  "Oh, honey, I'm sorry."

            "It's not your fault," she whispered.  She opened her eyes to watch his face as she asked, "How did he take it, finding out?"

            Walsh squeezed her hand.  "Okay, I think.  He seemed to be a little hurt that you hadn't told him, considering everything he's told you about himself, but he seemed to understand when I explained why you hadn't said anything.  I told him you were going tell him when you thought the time was right and that seemed to make him feel better."

            Liz nodded.  She tried to move her bad arm and grimaced, the pain shooting holes in the veil of painkillers in her system, causing her to grip Walsh's hand tightly.  "It would have come out sooner or later," she ground out between clenched teeth.

            Walsh wasn't sure what to say.  When her grip loosened on his hand he asked, "You up to seeing anyone else?"

            "Who?"

            "DK.  He's really worried and would like to see you."

            "Yeah, he can come in."  

            Walsh leaned down to kiss Liz's forehead.  "I'll stop in and see you as soon as I can tomorrow, okay?"

            Liz just nodded as she closed her eyes again.  Walsh squeezed her hand before releasing it then shuffled his way out the door. He found DK standing outside, leaning against the wall where he'd left him earlier.  At DK's hopeful gaze he said, "Go on in, she wants to see you."

            DK moved quickly past Walsh into the room, causing Walsh to smile.  _That boy's got it bad,_ he thought as he headed towards the waiting room.

            DK stopped just inside the door to look at Liz.  She was lying with her eyes closed, her hair lying in tangles on her shoulders.  He walked softly to the bed, reaching out to take her good hand in his.  Her hand felt so cold that he reached up to see if her cheek felt as chilled.  This touch caused Liz to open her eyes.  "Hey there," DK said quietly.

            "Hi," she whispered back.

            "How are you feeling?"

            "Like I'm wrapped in gauze." 

            "Part of you is," he stated, eyeing her bad arm.  When Liz rolled her eyes he chuckled.  "Well, it's true."

            "I know."

            DK stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. After a few minutes of silence he finally decided to ask her about what had happened back at the rescue scene.  "Liz?"

            "Yeah?"

            "What scared you so much when you woke up?  I've never heard a sound like that before; it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck." Liz tried to pull her hand from his grasp but he wouldn't let her.  She tried to push herself up a little, momentarily forgetting about her bad arm.  When the pain reminded her, she let a whimper.  DK reached out to stroke her cheek, making shushing sounds.  "It's okay, you don't have to tell me."

            Liz finally looked at him.  "You deserve to know, more than anyone else.  I've wanted to tell you but didn't know how to bring it up."  Her eyes drooped shut and it was a moment before she opened them again. "Tell Billy I said it was okay for him to tell you."

            "Okay."

            Liz gripped his hand hard.  "Derek, I'll understand if you don't want to see me after he tells you."

            "Why would I do that?"

            Liz turned her head away, not looking at him.  "You'll know why when he tells you.  I'm sorry I can't tell you myself."

            DK was going to ask her again what she meant but he saw her eyes drift shut again.  He decided he better not upset her anymore so he leaned down to kiss her cheek.  "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered in her ear before straightening up.  Liz didn't react as if she had heard him but he was sure she had.  He quietly left the room

            Sully walked into the waiting room to find Faith sitting in a plastic chair, staring off into space. When he sat down beside her she jumped, startled.  "Welcome back," he said quietly. "Where's Swersky?"

            "He's making a few phone calls.  They just took Liz up to surgery."

            "Yeah, I saw her go by on the gurney.  Bucket boys leave?"

            Faith nodded.  "Jimmy finally got out of x-ray.  His jaw wasn't broken but slightly dislocated; the doc manipulated it back into place and gave him some painkillers.  Guess he's gonna have one hell of a bruise."

            "That was one hell of a kick Liz gave him," Sully replied.   He gave Faith a steady look.  "Faith, did Liz ever tell you where she was before she started floating through precincts?"

            "No."

            "I know where she was."

            "Where?"

            "She was an arson investigator out of the two-seven.  Her name was Beth Faust at the time."

            Sully could see that name meant something to Faith but she wasn't quite sure what. He could tell when she finally remembered why she knew the name and the look of shock that settled on her face.  "Oh, my god, she's the one that was abducted!"

            Sully nodded.  "I figured it out today after she panicked at the scene.  Walsh confirmed it for me.  I guess she didn't say anything because she was afraid of how we'd react."

            Before Faith could say more Ty walked in the door with Lt. Swersky right behind him. "Hey, Sul, ready to go?"

            Sully stood.  "Yeah."  He looked at Swersky, "Everything squared away, boss?"

            "As soon as I get back to finish up the paperwork.  Think you can get that report done in the next hour?"

            "Yeah, if nothing major comes up."

            "Put yourself busy on paperwork, I'll call central and okay it."  Lt. Swersky turned to Faith.  "Ready to take me over to Liz's place?"

            "Sure."  Faith rose from her seat, still looking distracted.  Lt. Swersky held out his hand to her.  "What?" she asked.

            "Give me the keys, I'll drive." Faith didn't hesitate in handing the set of keys over, she knew she wasn't in the right frame of mind to drive at the moment.  Swersky started herding everyone towards the door.  "Come on, people, we've got things to do."

            They headed out of the hospital to their respective squads and duties.

            The rest of the night had been quiet for the fire crew.  Jimmy had gone home on doctor's orders though he had grumbled he could still work.  Lt. Johnson had reminded him he couldn't work under the effects of the narcotic the doctor had given him and he had finally submitted to his superior's order.  Powell had come in for him and had to be filled in on how Jimmy had been hurt in the first place.

            "He got kicked in the jaw by a cop?" Powell asked incredulously.

            Doc nodded.  "Yeah."

            "What the hell was her problem?"  This comment drew glares from Walsh, DK, and Alex.  Powell held his hands up in supplication.  "Sorry, I guess that was the wrong thing to ask.  Tell me what happened before Doherty got walloped."

            As Alex and Doc started to tell him Walsh slipped up the stairs, heading to the roof.  He went to lean his arms on the wall, looking down at the street between the fire station and the police station.  It wasn't long before he felt someone walk up beside him and he knew without looking it was DK.

            "You okay, Billy?"

            "Yeah, how 'bout you?"

            DK leaned over with his elbows on the ledge, mimicking Billy's posture.  "I've been better."  They stared out into the night together in silence for a few minutes before DK spoke again.  "Bill, what happened to Liz? Why did she cry out like that?  She told me to ask you and told me to tell you it was okay to tell me." 

            "She did?"

            "Yeah.  She said she wanted to tell me but didn't know how.  She also said she'd understand if I didn't want to see her anymore after you told me.  Why?  What happened?"

            Walsh turned around to lean backwards against the wall.  He ran a hand through his hair before crossing his arms against his chest.  "Do you remember two years ago hearing about Todd Crossley?"

            DK frowned as he searched his memory for the name.  "Wait a minute, was he the firefighter that was stalking some detective downtown?"

            "Yeah, he was and Liz was the detective, though she was known as Beth Faust at the time."

            "Wait a minute, didn't Crossley-"

            Walsh interrupted, "Yes, Crossley stalked Beth, I mean Liz, for months before he totally snapped and abducted her right off the street while she was working.  Both departments had fair warning but never took Liz's complaints seriously.  He abducted her, beat her, and-" Walsh paused for a moment, having a hard time saying the word, "-and he raped her.  She escaped by crashing through a window, cutting herself up pretty good."

            "Oh, man."  DK started pacing on the roof, his hands stuffed in his pockets.  Walsh watched him as he passed back and forth, waiting to see if his friend was going to say anything more.  Finally DK stopped to look at Walsh.  "Liz went through all that?  Is that why she's divorced?"

            Walsh nodded.  "She told me that her husband couldn't handle it and he thought of her as damaged goods.  She started to believe it too."

            "She did?  She seems to be pretty self-assured to me."

            "Yeah, now she does.  Right after it happened she wasn't and she lost herself in the bottle."

            "That's why she doesn't drink now?"

            "Yeah. I guess Swersky and another detective friend held an intervention or she would have drunk herself to death.  She told me that she and Jack Daniels became bosom buddies because so many of her friends abandoned her, including her husband.  She felt scarred inside and out and no one was telling her otherwise.  It took her a long time to rebuild her self esteem to what she has now."

            "Did she sue the departments?"  
            "She sure did and they both settled quickly to keep things out of the paper. Both departments tried to keeps things quiet, even while she was abducted. She was missing for a little more than a week at the hands of that monster."

            They heard a gasp come from the near the door, turning to see Alex was standing there.     She gave them a sheepish look.  "Sorry, but Lieu was wondering where you guys were, I didn't mean to eavesdrop.  I now understand a conversation Liz and I had a while back though."

            "How much did you hear?"  Walsh asked.

            "Just this last bit but I know what you're talking about.  I followed the case closely because of my own.  I never found out the outcome though."

            "Well, Liz got a nice chunk of change and the PD pretty much let her decide what she wanted to do.  She decided she wanted to go back to patrol for a while, even though she was just promoted to lieutenant and was going to be in charge of her own division of detectives."

            DK gave out a whistle.  "She turned down being a lieutenant?"

            Walsh nodded.  'Technically she still is a lieutenant, she has the option of taking an opening when it comes up.  She's turned them down three times because it was divisions she didn't want to work in.  Liz said she wants to be back in arson when she goes back to being a detective."

            "That explains all the fire books on her bookshelves," stated DK.

            "Guys, Lieu wants us downstairs for something."

            As she turned to head to the door Walsh put his hand on her arm.  "Alex, you'll keep quiet about this, won't you?"

            Alex nodded.  "Obviously Liz didn't want it advertised and I can understand why.  I won't say a thing."

            "Thanks."  Walsh stopped DK from following Alex.  "DK, I want you to know I'll understand if this changes things between you and Liz.  I hate to admit it but I was one of those friends who didn't know what to say to her so I wasn't there for her either."

            "Looks like she forgave you."  DK frowned.  "I have to think about this a little, get a handle on it, you know?  I'll let you know how I feel after I figure it out and tell Liz."

            "Fair enough." 

            They headed downstairs in silence to find out what Lt. Johnson wanted.

            At the end of shift Sully and Davis found Lt. Swersky in his office, filling out paperwork.   Sully rapped his knuckles on the door frame to get his boss' attention.  "Boss, can we come in?"

            The lieutenant waved them in as he signed a form in front of him.  When he looked up he gave them a small smile.  "The hospital just called, Liz is heading from recovery to a room."

            "That's great."

            Sully nodded his agreement.  "Did they say how bad the damage was?"

            "She did cut one tendon but they were able to repair it.  She'll be on light duty for a couple of months though.  The doctor wants to keep her in the hospital for a few days to make sure no infection sets in since she was in the river when she cut herself."

            "I'll stop by to see her tomorrow when I'm out running errands," stated Ty as he gave Sully a light punch on the arm.  "Maybe I'll see you there?"

            "Probably.  Goodnight, Davis."

            "Night, Sul.  Good night, Boss, give Liz my best when you see her."  
            "Will do."  Ty left the room but Sully remained, watching his boss.  Swersky raised an eyebrow at him.  "Is there something else, Sully?"

            "Yeah, are you going back over there tonight?"  
            "As soon as I'm done here.  I want to check on her, she hates hospitals."

            "Is that because of the last time she was in one?"

            Swersky paused in writing something on the form in front of him, putting his pen down slowly before looking up at Sully.  "What do you know about that, John?"

            Sully sat down in the chair next to the desk.  "I figured out who Liz is, boss.  I know she's Beth Faust."

            Rubbing a hand over his face as he sat back in his chair, Swersky was silent for a moment.  Finally he looked at Sully again.  "How did you figure it out?"

            "From little clues here and there, things Liz said, things you said, things Walsh said.  Her reaction at the scene today clinched it and I asked Walsh for conformation."

            "I see.  What else do you want to know?"  
            Sully looked down at his hands.  "Was she ever going to tell me?"

            "Yeah, she was."  

            "Really?"

            Swersky sat forward, resting his elbows on his desk.  "Yes, John.  We had lunch together a few days ago and we talked about it. She said you were beginning to trust her and had started opening up to her a little and she thought it was time she did the same."  He paused, looking at the officer beside him.  At the leery look on Sully's face he added, "Don't worry, Liz didn't tell me what you guys were talking about, just that you have been. "

            Sully nodded.  "Liz is easy to talk to, kind of like Maggie Davis."

            "Yes, she is."  Swersky gathered up his papers, shoving them into a couple of folders.  "How 'bout we go check on her so we can both go home and get some sleep."

            "Sounds good, boss."

            The shift had ended and the crew was just going to head out when the phone rang.  Being the closest, Lt. Johnson picked it up.  "Squad 55, Lt. Johnson speaking."

            Everyone stopped to listen, wondering what the call was about.  "Hi, Mike."  "Yeah, they are."  "Do you want to speak to him?"  "Really?  That's great news, I'll tell them.  Thanks for calling."

            Lt. Johnson turned to hang up the phone while his crew waited, curious.  There was a small smile on the lieutenant's face when he turned around.  "That was Lt. Swersky,  Officer Magnuson is out of surgery and in a room."

            "Every thing went okay?" Walsh asked.

            Nodding, Lt. Johnson answered, "Yeah but Magnuson did cut one of her tendons so she'll be out a couple of months.  Swersky said she'll be in the hospital a couple of days so they can watch for infection.  Mike said she'd like a lot visitors because she hates hospitals."

            Walsh chuckled.  "Yes, she does.  Thanks for telling us, Lieu."

            "My pleasure.  Now let's get out of here."

            A much happier group headed down the stairs, into the mild spring night.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	10. Aftermath

When Walsh headed to the information desk he was surprised to see a familiar blonde head just turning to leave.  "Taylor?"

            "Hey, Billy," Alex answered with a smile.

            "I didn't expect to see you here, at least this early."

            "I woke up early, decided to go to the gym, and swung by here first."

            "That's nice, Liz will appreciate it.  You get the room number?"

            "Right here."  Alex showed him a slip of white paper the aide had given her.  "Come on."

            Alex linked her arm through his as they headed toward the bank of elevators.  While they waited for a car, Alex looked up at him through her bangs.  "Talk to DK today?"

            "No."  
            "Think he'll be by?"

            Walsh waited to answer as they stepped inside the car that had arrived.  They were joined by a large number of passengers so they squeezed into a corner, Walsh putting his arm around Alex's shoulders so she wouldn't have to touch the big, sweaty guy next to her.  As she gave him a grateful look he stated, "I hope DK does come to see Liz.  I could tell they're both nuts about it each other, I hope he's still able to feel that way."

            Walsh could feel Alex shrug.  "DK's a good guy but this is something a lot of guys couldn't handle," she said quietly.  

            "I know."  They arrived on their floor and pushed their way out, apologizing as they went.  They searched the signs on the walls to find out which way to head.  "This way." Walsh pointed to their right.

            They could hear voices as they stood outside the door, making sure they were at the right one.  Walsh cautiously poked his head in the door and found Lt. Swersky helping Liz lie back against her pillow.  "Is it okay for us to come in?"

            "Sure, come on in," Swersky replied, smiling at him.  

            "Us?" Liz asked quietly. When she saw Alex she smiled.  "Hi, Alex."

            "Hey."  Alex moved  closer to the bed, laying her hands on the railing.  "How are you feeling?"

            "A little foggy."

            "That's understandable, they've got you on some pain killers."

            Liz reached up with her good hand to clumsily pat Alex's hand.  "Thanks for everything yesterday."  
            "Just doing my job, but you're welcome."

            Lt. Swersky bent over to kiss Liz's forehead.  "Since you've got company I'm gonna take off for a while.  I'll see you later."

            "Thanks, Mike," she replied softly.  The lieutenant smiled at Alex and patted Walsh on the shoulder as he walked out.  

            Walsh moved up on the other side of the bed, reaching out to brush a lock of hair away from Liz's face.  "I know you've been out of the river long enough for your hair to dry," he stated, feeling her damp hair.

            "Mike helped me wash it just before you got here, it was pretty grimy."

            "You do look better than when DK and I pulled you out."  Walsh glanced over at Alex before telling her, "I told DK last night. He told me you said it was okay."  
            "I did."  Liz searched his face before asking, "How did he take it?"  
            Walsh shrugged.  "I'm not sure, he's not always easy to read."

            "He's a good guy, Liz, give him time to process it all.  Okay?" Alex said. When Liz gave her a rather startled look she added, "I overheard Billy and DK talking last night so I know.  Don't worry, I won't say anything.  If anything, I understand better than most."  
            Giving her a grateful look, Liz replied, "Yeah, you probably would."

            Walsh reached down to put his hand on Liz's shoulder gently.   "Liz, I'm sure DK-"  
            "Is right behind you," came a familiar voice from the doorway.  All three looked to see DK standing there, a small smile on his face.  Walsh and Alex both turned in time to see Liz's face light up upon seeing their coworker.  DK moved to the foot of the bed, one hand tucked inside his jacket.  "How are you feeling?"  
            "Well, I've felt both better and worse so I guess I'm okay," Liz replied with a small smile.

            "That's good."  
            Walsh and Alex exchanged looks.  Alex reached down to pat Liz's hand.  "I'm gonna take off, I'm headed to the gym before it fills up with burly guys.  Glad you're okay."

            "Thanks again, Alex."  

            Alex just smiled at the patient as she moved to leave, giving DK's arm a squeeze as she went by.  "Wait up, Alex, I'll walk you down," Walsh called out.  He leaned over to give Liz a quick kiss.  "I've got a few errands to run, beautiful, then I'll be back."

            "Okay."

            Walsh gave DK a light punch on the arm and a smile as he went to join Alex, who had waited at the door.  As they went down the hall, Walsh found he couldn't stop smiling.  "I think that's a good sign."

            Nodding her agreement, Alex stated, "A very good sign."

            They continued to smile all the way to the elevator.

            Back in the room DK had moved up beside Liz's good side.  "I brought you something."

            He pulled a stuffed Dalmatian with a fire hat out of his coat, extending it to her.  "Oh, how cute," Liz exclaimed, reaching up to touch it gently.

            "I was going to get you flowers or a plant but I saw this little guy in the gift shop and couldn't resist."  He smiled as he put the dog in the crook of her good arm.  "I figured he'd keep you better company."

            Liz smiled at the dog then up at DK.  "I wasn't sure if I was going to see you again."

            "I promised to make you my famous chili, didn't I?"  At Liz's nod he continued, "Like you, I keep my promises."

            "I'm glad."

            Sighing, DK reached down to grasp Liz's hand.  "Liz, I'm going to be honest with you, this is going to take some time for me to process.  But I know I thought you were something special before I found all this out, now that I know what you've been through I think you're pretty exceptional."

            He saw Liz blush.  "I don't know about that, I've just done what I've had to do." When DK moved to sit in the chair by the bed, Liz gripped his hand.  "Put the arm down and sit up here, please."  
            "Okay."  DK put the arm of the bed down with directions from Liz then settled in, one foot tucked under his other leg while he faced her.  He took her hand in his again.  "Can I ask you something?"

            "Sure."

            "Is the abduction the reason you're divorced?"

            Liz looked him in the eye.  "Yes, and it's the reason why I don't drink anymore."

            DK was the first to look away.  "Your husband leave?"

            "Actually I let him go."

            "I don't understand."  
            Sighing, Liz stated quietly, "He couldn't bear touching me but couldn't tell me.  I saw how miserable he was so I let him go."

            "Do you still love him?"  
            Liz looked back up at him.  "A part of me still does but he's moved on, so have I."  
            DK saw Liz's eyelids start to droop a little.  "I think we should talk about this some other time, you're tired."

            Liz forced her eyes wide open.  "I'm sorry, it's the pain meds.  I took a dose after washing my hair because the movement made everything hurt."

            "That's understandable."  DK pointed at her arm.  "What did the doctor say about your arm?"

            Liz looked at her arm then back at the man beside her.  "I cut one tendon so I'm going to have a couple of months of physical therapy ahead of me.  As for the scars, they'll just add to what I've already got."  
            A surprised look settled onto DK's face.  "Scars?"  
            Liz shrugged then winced at the pain the movement caused.  "Yeah, scars," she answered rather breathlessly.  "I've got some on the back of my arms and on my back from going through a second story window."

            "Second story?  How did you survive?"  
            "Lucky for me there was an open dumpster below.  Ended up with lots of cuts, a couple of broken ribs,  and one hell of a concussion on top of everything else."  

            "Ouch."  As he watched he saw Liz's eyelids droop again.  "Look, I can see you need to sleep so go ahead."  

            He started to move off the bed but Liz stopped him.  "Don't go."  
            "I was just going to move to the chair."  
            "Stay here with me."  
            "Up here on the bed?  I don't think there's enough room."

            "We can make room.  Please?"

            DK felt any resistance he had melting at the pleading look in her eyes.  "Alright, but only if it doesn't hurt you."

            Liz smiled at him before shifting over, taking care not to move her injured arm too much.  DK lay down on his right side, being careful not to lay on Liz's IV tubing.  He chuckled when she handed him the TV remote.  "Any thing specific you want to watch?"  
            "No, do what you men do so well."  
            "Which is?"  
            "Channel surf."

            Before he turned the TV on, DK looked down at the woman beside him.  "You okay?"  
            "I'm better now that you're here." DK leaned in to kiss her lightly then turned on the TV.  He started flipping through the channels, not really paying attention, until Liz said, "Wait!  Isn't that "Gunfight at the OK Corral"?"

            Flipping back a station, DK watched the screen for a moment.  "You're right.  Wanna watch this?"

            "Only if you do."  
            Kissing her on the forehead, DK stated, "I can't believe I found myself a woman who likes westerns."  
            "You better believe it, cowboy."

            They started watching the movie and it wasn't long before Liz was asleep.  DK smiled at her, resting his cheek against the top of her head.  Soon he fell asleep too.

            Walsh couldn't help but smile at the scene before him.  DK and Liz were both asleep, DK's left hand on top of Liz's good one on her stomach, his cheek resting against the top of her head.  The head of a stuffed Dalmatian with a fire hat on it poked out above DK's arm, almost as if it were standing guard.  He didn't want to disturb them but knew he had to.

            Grabbing his friend's ankle, he shook it gently as he said lowly, "DK, wake up."

            Because of years of conditioning as a firefighter waking to alarms, DK woke with a start, automatically starting to sit up. He stopped when he remembered where he was but it was too late, Liz had already awoken too.  DK looked groggily at Walsh.  "What's up, Billy?"  
            "Don't you have a dental appointment today?"  
            "Crap! What time is it?" DK glanced at his watch before letting out a relieved sigh.  "I've got just enough time to get there."

            He bent over to kiss Liz on the forehead while she blinked up at him with sleep filled eyes.  "I gotta go but I'll be back later.  You rest."

            "Yes, sir."

            Smiling, DK gently untangled himself from Liz and her tubes before rising from the bed.  "Billy, you're a life saver.  I didn't know you were coming back so soon."

            "Got my errands done and you'd mentioned your appointment yesterday so I figured I'd swing back to make sure Liz wasn't alone."

            DK grabbed his jacket then squeezed Walsh's arm as he walked towards the door.  He smiled back at Liz, "Say hi to Swersky for me, I was hoping to run into him today.  I'll be back tonight."

            Liz's smile lit up the room.  "Okay, see you later."

            He waved as he left the room.  Walsh pulled the chair over to the side of the bed.  "Even though sharing that bed with you looked mighty comfortable, I think I'll sit down here." 

            He rested his arms on the bed before putting his chin down on them. Liz reached over to clumsily stroke her fingers through his hair.  "Once upon a time I would have loved to have you up here.  As it is, I'm so grateful to even have you here, I never thought I would again."

            "Funny the way life goes sometimes.  I'm just grateful you forgave me."

            "There was nothing to forgive."

            "I thought there was, I wasn't there for you when you needed it."

            "You're here now, aren't you?"

            "Yeah."  
            "That's all I need."  Liz continued to play with Walsh's hair.  "Think I could get DK to grow his hair out a little?"

            Chuckling, Walsh stated, "I doubt it.  He's always worn it pretty short.  I get the feeling if it's too long it just sticks out all over his head, it's pretty coarse."

            "What are you doing running your fingers through DK's hair, huh?" Liz teased.

            Walsh smirked at her.  "Wouldn't you like to know!"

            "Probably best I don't." Liz glanced up at the TV which was still on.  "Oh, "High Noon" is  on, guess we slept through the last one."    

            "You still like westerns?"

            "Always."

            Walsh turned his head from the TV back to Liz's face.  "You know, those western film get togethers at your house were the best.  I still miss them."

            Liz nodded.  "Me too.  That was the last time I really felt like I had a family."

            Reaching out to grasp her hand in his, Walsh asked quietly, "How 'bout now?"

            "I may be finding one again," she answered softly.

            Sully entered Liz's room to find her and Lt. Swersky reading a book together.  

            "He had softly and suddenly vanished away, for the snark was a boojum you see," read the lieutenant but he stopped when he saw Sully in the doorway.  "Hi, Sully."

            "Hi, John," Liz echoed, smiling.

            "Hello to you both.  What are you doing?"

            "Just reading a bit of nonsense to lighten the day," Lt. Swersky replied matter-of -factly, his tone implying it should be obvious.

            "Nonsense?"

            Liz nodded.  "Yeah, a little Lewis Carroll. "The Hunting of the Snark."

            Sully frowned.  "The author sounds familiar but not the work."

            "He wrote "Alice in Wonderland"," commented Swersky.

            "Ah, that's why the name sounded familiar."  Sully pulled the other chair in the room closer to the bed.  "How are you feeling, Liz?"

            "Okay.  Really good when the drugs kick in," she commented with a grin.

            "I'll bet."  Looking  around at the plants in the room, Sully stated,  "Looks like you've had a few visitors."

            ":Not that many visitors but many well wishers."

            "It's the thought that counts, right?"

            "Yup."

            Noticing the Dalmatian on the bed with Liz, Sully pointed at it.  "I see some of the firefighters have been by.  Who gave you that?  Walsh?"

            Liz blushed, adding a lot of color to her pale face.  "No, DK."  
            Sully found himself smiling.  "Really?  That's great."  He glanced at Lt. Swersky before asking her quietly, "Does he know?"  
            "Yes, he does.  Walsh told him last night."

            "He's okay with everything?"  
            Shrugging, Liz said, "He said it'll take him a while to process everything but he seems to be okay with it. We talked for a little while this morning before I fell asleep on him."

            "Pain killers will do that to you."

            Lt. Swersky stood, placing the book in hand on the bed beside Liz.  "Well, sweetheart, I've got to go to work."

             "That means you have to go too, doesn't it, John?"  
            Sully gave her a small smile.  "Nope, I'm staying right here."

            The expression on Liz's face changed from puzzled to suspicious as she looked from one man to the other.  "You're supposed to be working," she said to Sully.  "Why aren't you?"

            "Because I want to stay here and keep you company."

            Liz turned a very stern look on Lt. Swersky.  "**Michael**."

            "Don't Michael me, Elizabeth," Swersky shot back, his face a reflection of Liz's,  "I know how you feel about hospitals and Sully volunteered to hang out with you."

            "You didn't order him?"

            "No, he didn't," replied Sully.  "He arranged it so I got the day off so I could stay with you after **I **asked him to."

            "Are you sure you want to stay?"

            When Sully simply replied, "Yes," he could see the look of gratitude in her eyes.

            "See, he wants to be here.  Now, I've really got to go or I'll be late and will never hear the end of it from Christopher."  Lt. Swersky leaned over to kiss Liz on the forehead.  "I'll see you later."

            "Bye, Mike."

            "See ya, Boss."

            Swersky gave them both a wave as he headed out the door.  After he was gone Liz softly said to Sully, "You don't have to stay."

            "Look, we're not gonna argue about this, I'm staying."

            "Okay."

            Sully leaned forward, a very serious look on his face.  "Can I ask you something?"

            "Sure."

            "Were you really going to tell me you're Beth Faust?"

            "Yes, I was," Liz answered without hesitation.

            "Really?"

            "Yes, really."  

            "Why?"

            "It was my turn to show a little trust."  Liz sighed, running her good hand through her hair.  "Look at it from my side for a moment as to why I didn't tell you right away.  I'm coming in to a new precinct where no one knows me by my new name except the lieutenant.  I'm a female officer which automatically gives me one strike against me with some male officers.  If everyone had known who I was I would have had another strike against me and would have had to work twice as hard  to show I could do the job."

            "Maybe not."

            "Come on, John, we both know better than that."

            Sully had to look away.  "Yeah, you're right," he stated softly.

            :The reason I was going to tell you now, John, was because I wanted you to know I do understand what you've gone through."

            "Because you've gone through something worse than I did."

            "Not worse, just different, but still traumatic."

            "Matter of perspective, huh?"  
            "I guess so."

            Sully gave her a deprecating smile.  "Does this mean I'll get my life back together as well as you have?"  
            "Again, perspective."  Liz gave him a sad smile.  "There's this poem that talks about happiness being a glass ball that once it shatters you never find all the pieces again."

            "So you're saying I'll never find happiness again?"

            "No.  What I'm saying is knowing you'll never find all the pieces again makes you treasure those you do find all the more."  Liz extended her good hand to him.  "Come here."

            Frowning, Sully stood to take her hand in his.  "I'm supposed to be happy with what I've got, huh?"

            "No, that's not what I'm saying."  Liz squeezed his hand.  "I'm just saying not to expect too much too soon.  You'll find happiness again, you just have to have patience.  You are off to a good start now."

            "How do you figure that?"  
            "You were starting to let me in, trusting me.  Show's you're no longer cutting yourself off from everybody any more."

            "I guess you're right."

            "It does happen some times," Liz quipped.

            Sully couldn't help but chuckle which soon turned into full bore laughter as the tension left his body.  He sat down and they fell into a less serious conversation.

            Around 5:00 PM Faith walked into the room to find Sully and Liz playfully arguing about music.  They both smiled at her.

            "Hey, Yokas," said Sully.

            "Hey, Sully.  Now I know why you weren't at work."  

            "Just keeping Liz company.  What's the boss got Davis doing?"

            "He's riding with Powell."

            "What's Lieu got you doing?" Liz asked.

            "I'm working the desk.  It's been pretty quiet so the boss said I could come see you."

            "That was nice of him," replied Sully.

            "That's Mike," stated Liz.

            Faith glanced at Sully and he got the hint.  Standing he said, "I'm gonna go get some coffee, I'll be back in a bit.  Either one of you need anything?"

            "No, thanks, John," Liz stated.  Faith shook her head in the negative.  Sully ambled out, trying to remember where he'd seen vending machines on that floor.

            Faith looked around at all the plants and flowers which had been delivered throughout the day.  She moved to smell  a bouquet of white roses sitting on the window sill.  "These are gorgeous.  Looks like you've had some visitors."

            "More gifts than visitors but a few people have stopped by.  Davis was here earlier, so was Swersky."  Liz smiled at her.  "You should take the roses with you, they're half yours."

            "Whadda ya mean?"

            "They're from the husband of the gal we pulled out.  There's a thank you card with them."  
            Finding the card, Faith opened it and read it.  As she put it back she said softly, "You pulled her out, not we."

            "No, **we **did.  I did the water part, you did the land part."

            Shrugging, Faith just walked over to sit down in the chair Sully had vacated.  "How you doin'?"

            "Okay.  Swersky fill you in?"

            "Yeah.  He said you're gonna be out for a while."

            "Lucky me, I get another vacation."

            Faith frowned at the sarcasm she heard in Liz's voice.  "Maybe it won't be too long."    

            "God, I hope not."  Silence settled in for a moment.  Finally Liz asked Faith quietly, "Faith, what's on your mind?"

            Leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, Faith took a deep breath.  "Why didn't you tell me you were Beth Faust?"

            "I may have eventually.  It's not something you bring up in casual conversation."

            "But I told you all about me!"

            "Yes, you did," stated Liz softly, "but you told me of your own volition.  I didn't have to pry any of it out of you."

            "You didn't tell me anything about yourself while you got all this info about me-"

            "Stop right there, Faith," Liz interrupted.  "Think back and you'll realize I never questioned you outright about anything.  Anything you told me you brought up on your own."

            "But you didn't tell me anything about you!"

            "That's not true and you know it."  Liz pushed herself up straighter, going pale at the pain the movement caused.  "You know about my family, my divorce, and most of my work history.  The only things I didn't tell you about were my years as a detective and my abduction, which are not easy subjects for me to talk about."

            Faith stood, crossing her arms over her chest.  "I just don't feel I can trust you.  I can't work with another partner that I can't feel I trust.  I'm not going to go through that again."

            "I'm sorry you feel that way."  Liz rubbed her eyes with her hand.  "Faith, you do what you have to do.  Just know my door is always open to you, anytime.  I still consider you a friend no matter what you think of me."

            Faith refused to look at Liz, instead glancing at her watch.  "I gotta go, Swersky's gonna need me back at the desk."

            "Okay."  As Faith headed to the door Liz called out to her, "I'm here if you need me, Faith."

            Pausing, Faith looked back at Liz for a brief second.  She nodded then hurried out the door, afraid of what she might say if she stayed.  In her rush she almost bowled over a guy in a suit in the hallway.

            "Whoa!  What happened to watching twelve feet in front of you, officer?" the guy joked in a raspy voice.

            "Sorry."  Faith barely glance at the guy before walking on.  She did look back to see the guy pause outside Liz's room before going in.  Faith thought there was something familiar about the guy but she forgot him as soon as she stepped into the elevator.

   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

            Sully was going to enter Liz's room when he heard her talking to someone.  He paused, not sure if he should interrupt, and decided to stay outside for a few minutes.  He could hear the conversation of the parties inside.

            "Lennie would kick your ass if he knew you were here. You know that, don't you?" Liz asked her company.

            Sully almost dropped his coffee when he recognized the voice of the other party in the room as they replied, "I know and I'd deserve it if he did."

            Entering the room, Sully scowled at the newcomer.  "Madjanski, what the hell are you doing here?"

            Detective Madjanski looked startled to see Sully there.  He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he answered, "I came to apologize again."

            "Apologize for what?  What did you screw up now?"

            "John, please." Sully looked over at Liz, noting she was much paler now than she had been when he'd left to get some coffee.  As she reached up to rub her eyes with her good hand he could see it was shaking, badly. Liz finally looked at Madjanski, motioning for him to come closer to the bed.  Madjanski looked at Sully before walking to the side of the bed, putting his hands on the railing, a look of pleading settling on his face.  Liz finally said to him, "Maddy, you're not looking to apologize, you're looking for absolution."

            As Madjanski opened his mouth to protest Liz cut him off, "I can't give you that, Maddy, not yet.  You're gonna have to live with your demons a little longer."

            Sully could feel the atmosphere in the room get thick with tension as Liz and Madjanski looked at each other, forgetting he was even there.  He became uncomfortable as the silence continued.  He cleared his throat before saying, "I think I'll step out in the hall so you two can be alone."

            Neither one replied so he started to move towards the door.  Liz finally called out to him.  "John, please stay."

            Sully looked at her then at Madjanski who continued to watch Liz, ignoring Sully.  "Are you sure?"

            Liz nodded.  "Yes.  Detective Madjanski knows more intimate details about your life than he should, now it's your turn to find out some of his."  Liz looked back at Madjanski, her face softening.  "And some of mine," she added softly.

            "That's not fair, Beth," Madjanski stated.  

            "My name is Liz now and it's more than fair," she answered back, still holding his gaze.  

            Madjanski looked away as he reached into his pocket, pulling something out.  He extended his hand to her.  "I brought something back to you."            

            Liz continued to look in his eyes, not even looking at his hand.  "What is it?"

            He turned his hand so a fine chain spilled down, a ring hanging from it.  When Liz finally looked at it she gasped.  "Where did you get that?" she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.

            Sully could tell Madjanski was choking on some emotion when he answered gruffly, "I found it where that bastard took you from.  I wasn't one of the first detectives on the scene, my partner and I were the first ones there, period.  I missed saving you by ten minutes."  The tears began to fall down Liz's face as he continued, "I hung on to it, my only link to sanity while we searched frantically for you.  I was afraid it was all I would have left of you."

            Sully was shocked to see Madjanski was fighting back tears as he spoke again.  "Then I did find you, broken and...." he stopped, looking at the ceiling to gain control of himself.  Finally he went on.  "I vowed I'd return it to you some day after I had the chain fixed and I had fixed things with you."  Reaching down, he gently placed the necklace in Liz's good hand, being careful not to touch her.  He moved away before she could reach out to him.  "I was able to do one of those things," he stated softly.  

            Sully was surprised when Madjanski looked at him.  "You see, Sully, I did know what it's like to lose someone I love.  I'm sorry you had to go through it and I'm sorry I was such an ass about it.  Take care of her for me."  With that he walked out, not even looking back.

            Liz started to call out to him, reaching out with her bad arm without thinking.  The pain the movement caused made her writhe, making her turn even paler.  Sully became alarmed.  "Should I call a nurse?"  Liz shook her head, panting.  Sully looked at the door then back down at her.  "Do you want me to bring him back?"

            Liz shook her head again.  "No, let him go."

            "Why didn't you tell me you two knew each other?"

            Sully almost couldn't bear the pleading look in her eyes as she looked back at him.  "Because I knew how much you hated him for what happened with Tatiana and everything else that's come between the two of you."  Liz leaned back in her pillows.  "You see, Swersky wasn't my only source for information about you."

            This unsettled him so much that Sully had to sit down.  "You've been talking to him about me?"

            "Not since what happened to me, no."  Liz closed her eyes but continued, "Maddy and I used to be very close and he'd tell me about all the people he worked with, you included.  I haven't talked to him since I was abducted because I partially blamed him for what happened."

            "Why?"

            "Because he didn't seem to take me seriously when I told him my concerns about Crossley.  He blew them off because he was on another of his crusades, taking down Chevchenko."   

            They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sully asked, "How close were you two?"

            Liz opened her eyes to look at him.  "Like I told you before, I never cheated on my husband.  I was only tempted twice in my whole marriage, one of them being Walsh."

            When she didn't continue Sully added, "And the other being Madjanski?"

            Sighing, Liz nodded.  "I know that's hard for you to believe, John, after everything you've been through with him.  Maddy showed me a side of him he shows very few people.  I was one of the few close friends he had."

            "Now that I believe."  Sully shook his head, still struggling to grasp everything he'd witnessed and been told.  "Where does that leave DK?" he asked after a while.

            "In the here and now.  Maddy's my past, there's no going back there even though I'm free.  I doubt I'll ever get past my feelings of betrayal that he wasn't there to help me when I needed him.  I also don't think he'll ever get past being the person who found me first after I got away from Crossley.  I wasn't a pretty sight."  

            They sat in silence again until Sully heard a muffled sob come from the bed. He looked over to see tears streaming down Liz's face as she stared at the ceiling, sorrow etched into her features.  Sully reached over to take her good hand in his, the necklace still clutched in her white knuckled grip.  He let her cry, offering her the only comfort he could, his presence.

            Lt. Swersky was on the phone when Faith returned so she slipped back into her job, helping an elderly lady find out where to retrieve some stolen property.  As the lady walked away Faith turned to find the lieutenant was off the phone, watching her.  "How was your visit with Liz?" he asked.

            Avoiding looking at her superior, Faith answered, "Fine."

            Faith started to chafe under the long steady long Swersky was giving her, trying not to look like a guilty child.    When Swersky finally looked away to catch Sgt. Christopher's attention she let out a sigh of relief.  The relief didn't last long when she heard Swersky say to Christopher, " Watch the desk for a couple of minutes, I need to speak with Officer Yokas in private."

            Sgt. Christopher smirked at Faith as he walked behind the desk, making Faith want to punch the look off his face.  She followed Lt. Swersky up to his office, a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomache.  Her heart began to pound when he shut the door and motioned for her to have a seat.  "Did I take too long, Boss?" she asked timidly.

            "No, I told you to take your time."  Lt. Swersky sat down in his chair, leaning his elbows on his desk.  He watched her until she finally met his gaze before asking, "Are you okay, Faith?"

            Her face showing a look of surprise, Faith replied, "Yeah, boss, I'm fine.  Why do you ask?"

            "You looked upset when you got back.  Something happen between you and Liz?"

            As hard as she tried, Faith couldn't keep eye contact with the lieutenant as she replied, "No."

            "I see."  Lt. Swersky rubbed his chin as he sat back in his chair.  "Faith, I'm not  going to try to force a confidence from you about what happened, it's between you two.  I'm your lieutenant but I hope you also consider me a friend.  I'm here if you want to talk and I promise everything stays between the two of us.  Despite being good friends with Liz I wouldn't tell her anything said unless you wanted me to."

            "I know that, Lieu, I really do," stated Faith.  She reached up to brush a strand of hair off her forehead.  "I just don't really know how to handle the fact that Liz is Beth Faust and she never told me."

            "In time she may have, it depended on how close you two got."  Swersky leaned forward again.  "I know Liz thinks the world of you, Faith, and she really enjoys being your partner.  I hope you can just accept her too."

            "I don't know, Lieu, I'm just a bit confused right now."

            "Take your time, she's gonna be out for a while.   She can be a great friend if you let her and I hope you do."  Lt. Swersky braced himself on the desk to push himself up.  "Come on, we better get you back to the desk to relieve Christopher or I'll have to listen to him grouse the rest of the shift."

            They walked back to the desk in silence but when Faith moved to resume her position she stopped.  "Thanks, Lieu," she said softly.

            Lt. Swersky nodded.  "Anytime," he stated before walking away.

            After dinner the nurse had made Liz take a pain killer which had caused her to fall asleep on Sully.  He'd actually been glad, after Madjanski's visit Liz had become very pale and listless so he thought the rest would be good for her.  He picked up the book Swersky had set down earlier to leaf through.  He stopped on a page where a poem had been underlined.  It read:

                        _Is all our Life, but a dream_

_                        Seen faintly in the golden gleam_

_                        Athwart Time's dark resistless stream?_

_                        Bowed to the earth with bitter woe,_

_                        Or laughing at some raree-show,_

_                        We flutter idly to and fro._

_                        Man's little Day in haste we spend,_

_                        And, from its merry noontide, send_

_                        No glance to meet the silent end._

He was surprised to see such a serious poem in a book which contained the nonsense Liz and Swersky had been reading to each other earlier.    _A dream, huh? he thought, reading it again.  _More like a nightmare at times.__

            He glanced at the woman sleeping in the bed, wondering what kind of nightmares she had.  He knew he still had some of seeing Tatiana's charred body and Chevchenko dead by his own hand but they were becoming less frequent as time passed.

            While he was contemplating this, DK strolled quietly into the room.  He smiled at Sully before glancing at the bed.  Sully motioned for him to remain quiet and go out in the hall.  DK frowned but complied, glancing at Liz one more time before going out the door.

            "Is there something wrong, Sully?"

            "No, I just didn't want to wake Liz, she needs to sleep.  She had a couple of visitors earlier who upset her and she didn't eat much for dinner."

            "Who was here?"

            "Yokas and a detective she knew from her time at the two seven."  Sully ran his fingers through his hair.  "She tried to downplay the whole thing but I could tell."

            DK nodded.  "Did you get any dinner?"

            "Yeah, Mrs. Swersky stopped by earlier and brought me a sandwich and coffee with her.  The lieutenant had asked her to check on both of us.  She brought some homemade broth too for Liz, she said she knew how awful hospital food was.  Liz ate some of it but not much."

            "Is it still here?"

            "Yeah."

            "I'll see if I can get her to eat some more when she wakes up.  Are you going to stay for a while longer or do you have something to do?"

            "I don't have any plans but I can guess you'd like to be alone with her for a while."

            "You don't have to leave on my account."

            Sully smiled.  "It's okay, she's probably tired of seeing my ugly mug since I've been around most of the day."

            Returning Sully's smile with one of his own, DK said, "I doubt that, she enjoys your company alot, Sully."

            Shrugging, Sully answered, "I enjoy hers too.  I'll get my coat and take off, maybe there's a baseball game on TV I can fall asleep to.  Swersky's gonna stop by after work."

            "Okay."  The men went quietly back into the room, looking at the bed to see Liz was still sleeping. 

             Sully grabbed his coat then extended his hand to DK.  "I'm glad you came to see her and especially that you came back again tonight.  She really likes you, DK."

            "I really like her."

            "Good."

            They shook hands then Sully left.  DK picked up the book Sully had been looking at when he'd walked in which was still on the same page the officer had been contemplating.  DK read the poem, liking it enough to look at the rest of the book.

            About an hour later he was starting the third chapter of "Alice in Wonderland" when Liz opened her eyes.   She gave him a sleepy smile.  "Hi."

            "Hello yourself, sleeping beauty.  How do you feel?"

            "Relieved."

            "Relieved?"

            "Yeah, that seeing you this morning wasn't just a dream."

            DK set the book down to move the side of the bed.  "No, it wasn't a dream, I'm here.  I'm not going to go anywhere."

            "Are you sure?"

            "I'm positive.  Scoot over and I'll show you I mean it." Liz carefully moved over to give him room to lie beside her, which was much easier now that the IVs were gone. DK wrapped himself around her, putting his hand on top of hers on her stomach. He kissed her softly but urgently before saying quietly, "If it is a dream, it'll be one we have together."

            Liz didn't reply, instead she just lifted her head to meet his lips again.  They lay there together in the comfortable silence until they both drifted off, to dream.

-fin-

_Authors notes:  Thanks to those of you who read this and gave me such nice reviews.  Sorry it took so long to complete, I was on vacation and away from a computer for a while (and work was a little busy so I didn't have time to type between calls).  Your feedback spurred me to finish this and contemplate posting more after this positive experience.  Thanks again._


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